Fresh off a record tourism year, Antigua and Barbuda is launching several initiatives for 2025, including new airlift, a culinary festival and major industry events.
Frontier Airlines will begin San Juan-Antigua service Feb. 15, adding to the destination's recent air service expansion from carriers including American Airlines, Delta, JetBlue, British Airways, Condor and Sunrise Airways.
Tourism Authority CEO Colin C. James announced the destination's first Culinary Month in May, featuring Restaurant Week, FAB Fest, Food Forum and Eat Like A Local events, positioning the islands as "a new culinary hotspot in the Caribbean."
The destination will host Caribbean Travel Marketplace May 18-22 and celebrate the 300th anniversary of Nelson's Dockyard in 2025. Officials also launched a redesigned website at visitantiguabarbuda.com with personalized viewing features and flight options.
The new initiatives follow a strong 2024, when the islands welcomed more than 330,281 stay-over visitors and 823,955 cruise passengers, surpassing pre-pandemic levels. The United States led arrival growth, with strong performance from the United Kingdom, Europe, Caribbean, Latin America and Canada markets.
Tourism Minister Charles Fernandez credited the growth to improved connectivity, expanded hotel offerings and the destination's position as a regional hub with two international airports. Officials expect continued expansion of cruise home-porting operations in 2025.
Editor’s Note: This article was generated by AI, based on a press release distributed by Antigua and Barbuda. It has been fact-checked and reviewed by a TravelAge West editor.
