Barbados tourism officials say efforts are underway to reduce the island’s reliance on peak travel seasons after a new regional report ranked it among the most seasonally dependent destinations in the Caribbean.

The finding comes from a Travel Trends Report by the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) and Amadeus, which gave Barbados a seasonality index score of 228, the highest in the region.

Speaking in response to questions from Caribbean Pulse during the island’s destination update at the Caribbean Travel Marketplace on May 14, Chief Executive Officer of Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc (BTMI), Andrea Franklin, said the country is actively working to spread visitor arrivals more evenly throughout the year.

Barbados’ peak tourism season typically runs from winter to spring, with demand tapering off during the shoulder and summer months.

Franklin said the island is increasingly turning to events and sports tourism to drive arrivals during off-peak periods.

“That’s what we really have to do. Create and market events happening that persons can come to the Caribbean,” she said.

“Sport is critical to us in that period, hence why we have such a calendar of sporting events happening in the summer, particularly in Barbados, as we try to fill that gap.”

She pointed to the island’s flagship Crop Over festival as a key driver of summer travel demand.

The report noted that Barbados’ tourism product remains heavily aligned with traditional peak travel periods, particularly the winter high season and year-end holidays, resulting in significantly lower activity during other times of the year.

It recommended that the island strengthen its off-peak offerings, including cultural, wellness and event-based experiences, while also targeting markets with counter-seasonal travel patterns, especially in South America.

Other suggestions included leveraging air connectivity to promote shorter stays and more flexible travel during shoulder months.

Among other destinations analysed, the US Virgin Islands ranked second on the seasonality index with a score of 181, followed by Guadeloupe at 171.

At the opposite end, Curaçao was identified as the least seasonally dependent destination, followed by Aruba and Guyana.

Franklin added that Barbados is also looking to expand its Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) segment as another avenue to drive year-round demand.

Meanwhile, BTMI’s Director for the United States, Peter Myers, said targeted summer campaigns are also being used to attract visitors during traditionally slower periods.

“It is an ongoing effort to ensure our occupancy can be year-round, to not have a situation where we are seeing dips,” he said.