A surge in visitors and a safe festival season delivered a boost to the economy during Crop Over, an entertainment industry leader said on Tuesday, while warning that mounting logistical pressures — including venue shortages and overlapping events — risk undermining future growth if not addressed.

Reflecting on the overall execution of the festival, Entertainment Association of Barbados president Rudy Maloney said: “This year, we had plenty of events, and really good events this year. A lot of visitors came to the island, and I think we did very well for the economy. We had a number of people going to a number of events this year, including the staple events. We had a good season, and we didn’t have any violent events or anything like that.”

Despite the overall success, Maloney noted that the high volume of events created significant operational bottlenecks. Venue availability proved to be a primary concern, as a limited number of locations were required to host multiple functions throughout the festivities.