Antigua and Barbuda were one of the first Caribbean destinations to reopen its borders to tourism in early June 2020.

Now that decision continues to pay off as tourism returns to the twin island destination and then some – with some tourism indicators dwarfing the same period in 2019 before the pandemic.

Antigua and Barbuda are reporting a “steady” increase in tourist arrivals from the United States, as well as an increase in bookings from the United Kingdom.

“This is good news for the country’s economy as our major source markets reopen to international travel and we see our airlift and hotel occupancy rise,” said Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Minister Charles “Max” Fernandez. “Antigua and Barbuda is open and we are delighted that consumers can be trusted to travel to our shores. We have worked tirelessly to ensure the safety of our employees and visitors, and we are pleased and proud that this has resulted in a lower number of COVID cases and thus a reduction in the negative impact on our economy. “

June arrivals were 14,503, borne by 12,205 visitors from the United States.

Keyonna Beach Resort in Antigua.

That’s a 9.8 percent increase over the total number of U.S. visitors to Antigua in 2019 – when 11,115 Americans visited the country.

“This has been our best June ever for US arrivals in Antigua and Barbuda. The hard work of tourism teams in overseas markets to stay engaged and active during and after the pandemic has now borne fruit, “said Colin C. James, CEO of Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority.

Jumby Bay Island off the coast of Antigua.

The islands have long been one of the top Caribbean luxury destinations and also see private jet service.

In the first half of the year, there were 1,219 private jet flights to Antigua and Barbuda, 18.6 percent more than in the same period in 2019.

And that can be seen in the hotel industry, where some hotels are almost 100 percent occupied.

According to ABTA, the occupancy rate in July is now forecast at 71 percent, compared to an earlier forecast of 35 percent.

To the for more on how to visit Antigua see here.

– CJ