Antigua Targets Caribbean Trips With a 2027 Summer Push

Antigua and Barbuda drew 7,217 visitor arrivals from Trinidad and Tobago in 2025, about 19% more than in 2024; Trinidad and Tobago remains the destination’s largest Caribbean source market. The Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority (ABTA) reported another 5,791 arrivals from January through October 2026.

The 2026 count equals roughly four-fifths of the full-year 2025 total. ABTA supplied neither a matching 2025 period nor the destination’s total arrivals and visitor spending, so the figures cannot show whether Trinidad and Tobago is taking a larger share of Caribbean demand or producing more tourism revenue per visitor.

ABTA launched its “Switch On Summer 2027” campaign in Trinidad and Tobago on October 29–30, beginning a regional push aimed at Caribbean travelers planning next summer. The activation included eight television and radio appearances and a travel trade luncheon attended by more than 30 agents.

For sellers, the luncheon offered direct access to local advisors, but attendance is not evidence of a booking. ABTA disclosed no proposals, group allotments or sales generated at the event, leaving the campaign’s commercial yield unmeasured.

What is ABTA selling for summer 2027?

The campaign organizes the selling period around four dated attractions. ABTA did not release package prices, confirmed hotel inventory or commission terms.

• Culinary Month in May.
• Romance Month in June.
• The 70th anniversary of Antigua’s Carnival, July 20–August 3.
• Cricket-related travel in August and September.

For agents, those events give reasons to contact group and leisure customers during early summer planning. Without named hotels, airline seats, package rates or commissions, sellers still lack the commercial terms needed to price and close bookings.

ABTA also promoted Love Link Caribbean, a regional reality dating series filmed in Antigua and Barbuda, for which the tourism authority serves as an executive producer. The series gives partners another piece of destination content, but no audience, engagement or booking-conversion figures accompanied the announcement. In short, ABTA has seasonal hooks and media exposure, but not yet a disclosed, sellable inventory proposition.

What is ABTA asking trade partners to build?

“Trinidad and Tobago is our largest Caribbean source market, and launching ‘Switch On Summer’ here was a deliberate decision,” said Shermain Jeremy, ABTA’s Director of Tourism for the Caribbean and Latin America.

“We want Caribbean travelers to think about Antigua and Barbuda early when planning their summer holidays. The enthusiasm from travel agents, particularly around group travel, gives us a valuable starting point. Our next focus is working with airlines, hoteliers and local partners to develop compelling, bookable summer experiences,” she added.

Jeremy’s comments describe three distribution stages: stimulate early destination consideration, test interest through agents, and develop bookable products with airlines, hoteliers and local partners. The first stage included eight broadcast appearances and more than 30 agents; the second has produced only qualitative enthusiasm, while the third has no named partners or inventory.

Group travel is a sales lead, not an order. In plain terms, ABTA still needs partners, inventory and pricing to convert it.

How far does the regional push extend?

ABTA plans to keep targeted advertising in Trinidad and Tobago running through the end of 2026. It then plans to expand the campaign to Jamaica, Barbados, Guyana and St. Kitts.

For sellers, that sequence widens the potential flow of source-market leads across the Caribbean. Yet ABTA has disclosed no market-by-market media budgets, partner lists, launch dates or commission structures, so the expansion signals distribution intent rather than booked incremental volume. The practical takeaway is simple: more markets may mean more leads, but sellers still have no disclosed terms to judge the opportunity.

What has to happen before summer 2027?

ABTA’s next step is to develop bookable summer experiences with airlines, hoteliers and local partners. It has not disclosed a bookings target, revenue forecast, average trip value, commission change or sales reporting schedule. Those omissions leave sellers without a way to forecast volume or margin.

Businesses interested in summer packages and promotional offers can contact Shamoi Richards, ABTA’s business development manager, at [email protected]. The announcement gives no application criteria or deadline. The commercial test will be whether ABTA’s partners can turn early agent interest into priced, bookable group inventory before travelers commit to summer 2027 holidays.