Barbados is expanding its presence in Africa, highlighting the continent as a priority market while addressing air connectivity challenges and exploring closer collaboration with Kenya.
Speaking at the Magical Kenya Travel Expo in Nairobi, Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc. (BTMI) director for Africa and the Middle East, Kyle Gittens, reiterated the need to fast-track solutions for travel connectivity.
“The African travel market is a very important market for destination Barbados,” Gittens said, adding that the team is networking with tour operators and travel agents to build the brand across the region.
To ease travel logistics for travellers, Barbados currently offers visa-free entry to Kenyan travellers for stays not exceeding six months. The main barrier remains the lack of direct year-round air access from Kenya.
Travellers to the island currently connect via the United Kingdom or the United States- requiring in-transit visas- or, during the winter season from October to April, via KLM from Amsterdam, which provides a visa-free routing option.
A significant development is the launch of direct flights from Lagos, Nigeria, operated by Air Peace.
BTMI is working closely with the Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) to share best practices and encourage two-way traffic. The organisation has also joined the Kenya Association of Travel Agents and the Tour Operator Society of Kenya to strengthen ties with the local travel trade.
Kenya and Barbados share cultural and experiential similarities, such as warm, welcoming people and historical ties, that act as natural bridges between the destinations.
Additionally, Barbados shares culinary influences with African countries that further enhance the appeal. “When you visit Barbados, you feel like you’re home away from home,” Kyle Gittens said, noting a similar sense of belonging after experiencing Kenya.
He puts emphasis on sustainable tourism: “Tourism is everybody’s business; let’s play our part,” Mr Gittens said, stressing the need for governments to involve local communities in decision-making, so benefits are widely shared.
At the Magical Kenya Expo, which brought together a record 10,000 delegates from over 40 countries as well as over 400 exhibitors and 250 quality-vetted international buyers, Rebecca Miano, the Cabinet Secretary for Tourism and Wildlife, reiterated the need to harness technology to modernise how Kenya presents itself to the world and compete in an increasingly digital global tourism landscape.
"The traveller of today bears little resemblance to the traveller of yesteryear. Technology has transformed how people discover destinations, make decisions, and engage with the places they visit. The destinations that shall lead the way forward are those willing to innovate, adapt, and move with considered pace into this new era," said CS Miano.
Technology and artificial intelligence were highlighted as tools to enhance destination promotion. Visitors can already access online information, generate itineraries, and plan trips independently within seconds, reducing reliance on traditional intermediaries.
“The industry must strategically harness these tools as the sector continues to evolve,” Kyle Gittens.
The BTMI’s presence in Africa and the Middle East is deliberately stationed to further grow tourist arrivals to the island for both long-stay and cruise visitors. Arrivals from Africa and the GCC regions rose 38 per cent year-on-year between January and September 2026.
The presence at the Magical Kenya Travel Expo underscores Barbados’s commitment to growing African source markets through improved connectivity, industry partnerships, and mutual learning with destinations such as Kenya.
