Barbados is an island nation and part of the Lesser Antilles, located in the southern Caribbean. The island is twice the size of Washington DC, or one third of the size of London. The nation has a well-developed infrastructure and English is the official language. The former British colony has an attractive climate and only a slight chance of hurricanes or other extreme weather events. Unlike most of the other Caribbean islands, Barbados has lush vegetation and forests. The colonial history is very visible through old plantation homes and Old World traditions such as high tea and cricket matches.

Barbados is a mature destination mostly known for beach-resort tourism. During the 1980s and 1990s it was the only destination outside the US to which the British Airways Concorde flew and had an aspirational reputation due to its high-end and exclusive resorts, such as Sandy Lane. Nowadays, it is still associated with upscale tourism but also offers a variety of other lodging options such as all-inclusive resorts and villas. It is also known as a cruise destination and its infrastructure can welcome five cruise ships at a time.

This report provides insight into

Tourist arrivals - overnights and expenditure

Purpose of visit - business, leisure or VFR

Accommodation supply - operating performance

Tourism policy - management

Transport - access and infrastructure

Tourism funding - promotion and future development