Barbados has earned major recognition on the African travel stage, winning the Destination of the Year: African Diaspora award at the 2025 Balearica (Africa) Tourism Awards. The honour marks a significant milestone in the island’s expanding outreach across Africa—one of the world’s fastest-growing travel markets—and is poised to elevate Barbados’ standing among African leisure, business, and diaspora travellers.
Kyle Gittens, Director of Emerging Markets at Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc. (BTMI), welcomed the award as a meaningful endorsement of the island’s strategic push into Africa.
“This prestigious award supports our ongoing efforts to position Barbados as the destination of choice amongst the African travel market, celebrating our rich cultural and heritage connections,” he said.
Gittens added that Barbados would continue building partnerships and visibility across the continent: “We remain committed to strengthening relationships across this emerging source market and welcoming many visitors to the beautiful island.”
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The accolade—rooted in Barbados’ historical, cultural, and ancestral ties to Africa—was presented on November 2 at the Hilton London Canary Wharf. It also reflects the island’s renewed commitment to heritage tourism and its targeted expansion campaigns designed to attract African travellers seeking authentic cultural experiences.
The Balearica Awards, regarded as a premier celebration of African tourism excellence, highlight destinations that demonstrate innovation, inclusivity, and meaningful engagement with the Diaspora. Winners receive the golden Balearica Statuette, inspired by the crowned crane—an ancient Egyptian symbol of immortality long associated with heritage, continuity, and renewal.
This year’s honour comes at a symbolic moment for Barbados, arriving just ahead of the 2025 GUBA (Grow, Unite, Build Africa) Awards, hosted in the Caribbean for the first time. Held under the powerful theme Reclaiming Our Atlantic Destiny: Build. Connect. Renew., the GUBA Awards further underscored the island’s role as a leader in Africa–Caribbean cultural and economic collaboration.
Adding to the historic significance, Barbados welcomed His Majesty Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, the King of Ashanti, whose visit marked the first time an occupant of the Golden Stool has ever set foot in the Caribbean. His presence at the awards and his address at the University of the West Indies deepened a moment of cultural resonance and connection between the two regions.
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The celebrations were further elevated by a chartered SmartWings flight direct from Ghana to Barbados, a symbolic milestone that represents growing momentum toward regular airlift between Africa and the Caribbean. Prime Minister Mia Mottley recently affirmed her confidence that the island is steadily advancing toward establishing direct routes.
The convergence of these events—the Balearica Award, the hosting of the GUBA Awards, the historic royal visit, and the landmark Ghana-to-Barbados flight—together signal Barbados’ emergence as a true bridge between Africa and the Caribbean. They highlight the island’s leadership in heritage tourism, diaspora engagement, and South–South cooperation, while reinforcing its commitment to forging deeper, more meaningful connections across the Atlantic.
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