Barbados courts Latin America

Barbados is stepping up its pitch to Latin America with more flights through Panama and a tourism push aimed at regional travelers. (travel2latam.com) Copa Airlines plans to raise service between Panama City and Bridgetown from five weekly flights to seven between July 27 and September 14, 2026, using 160-seat Boeing 737-800 aircraft. Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc. said the increase is tied to summer demand and to wider access from Latin American markets through Panama’s hub. (travel2latam.com) At this week’s World Travel Market Latin America event, Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc. executive Cheryl Carter said the island was meeting with airlines, tour operators and media to grow business in the region. A Spanish-language report from the event said the strategy centers on air connectivity, hotel supply and positioning Barbados as a full-experience destination. (europesays.com) (travel2latam.com) The tourism board already maintains a Caribbean and Latin America office, and its executive staff list includes a director for Latin America. That structure suggests the current campaign is an expansion of an existing regional sales effort, not a brand-new market entry. (corporate.visitbarbados.org 1) (corporate.visitbarbados.org 2) Barbados is making the push after a record tourism year. The Barbados Statistical Service reported 727,310 stay-over arrivals in 2025, including 8,240 from Latin and Central America, while Tourism Minister Ian Gooding-Edghill told Parliament in March 2026 that the island had recorded its highest-ever long-stay visitor total. (stats.gov.bb) (barbadostoday.bb) Those 2025 figures show where the growth challenge sits. The United States sent 246,528 stay-over visitors and the United Kingdom sent 224,952, compared with 8,240 from Latin and Central America, making the region a much smaller source market today. (stats.gov.bb) The hotel side of the pitch is also changing. Wyndham Grand Barbados Sam Lord’s Castle is now operating on the island’s southeast coast, while Royalton CHIC Barbados opened bookings in March 2025 for a Spring 2026 debut with 220 suites on the west coast. (wyndhamhotels.com) (royaltonresorts.com) Other projects point in the same direction. Blue Monkey Hotel and Beach Club has been marketed as a 28-suite boutique opening in Paynes Bay, and Pendry Barbados has been announced for 2026 as the brand’s first Caribbean property. (enprimeurclub.com) (globalhospitalitynews.com) Barbados officials have also been framing Latin America as more than a tourism play. Prime Minister Mia Mottley said in August 2025 that the island needed stronger transport links with Latin America to expand trade, tourism and regional influence. (barbadostoday.bb) For now, the hard numbers still show Barbados depends far more on the United States and Britain than on Latin America. The Panama route expansion and new hotel inventory give the island more seats and more rooms; the next test is whether Barbados can turn that into a larger regional visitor base in 2026. (stats.gov.bb) (travel2latam.com)