The Barbados economy has registered its fifth consecutive quarter of growth and is expected to further expand by as much as ten per cent this year, with visitor arrivals and economic activity getting a boost from the return of the Crop Over Festival.However, as he noted that the Central Bank of Barbados had slightly lowered the growth forecast for the rest of the year, Governor Cleviston Haynes warned that several significant global risks and continued hikes in commodity prices present a challenge to short-term growth prospects.Delivering his economic review for the January to June period and the outlook for the remainder of the year on Wednesday, Haynes said the economy registered its fifth consecutive quarter of growth between April and June, which contributed to the economy expanding by 10.5 per cent for the first six months of this year, again propelled by the tourism industry.“The recovery is mainly reflective of the rebound in tourism activity and there were also modest gains in manufacturing exports and domestic spending,” he said.During the six-month period, Barbados welcomed a total of 207 835 stay-over visitors, which was supported by the relaxation of COVID-19 protocols in key source markets and pent-up travel demand.
