BHTA anticipating major benefits for Barbados from Caribbean Travel Marketplace

Barbados’ hosting of the highly anticipated Caribbean Travel Marketplace next month will provide an opportunity for hoteliers, restaurateurs, tour operators and other industry stakeholders to sell the destination.
This is according to an upbeat Chief Executive Officer of the Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association (BHTA) Ryan Forde, who told Barbados TODAY that industry officials were looking forward to welcoming more than 800 people within the tourism industry from around the world for the May 9-11 Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) event.
This is the first time Barbados is hosting the trade association’s largest annual event which brings together buyers and sellers of the region’s tourism products and services.
“This is extremely important for Barbados. This is mega in the sense that we now have an opportunity to do a massive site inspection of what the destination has to offer, and that isn’t just our hotels and restaurants and attractions but the main thing that draws people back to Barbados and to spending and experiencing all that there is to experience, which is our people,” said Forde.
He said from the time individuals arrive at the Grantley Adams International Airport until they leave the island, they will get a full taste of the Bajan hospitality.
The staging of the 41st edition of the Caribbean Travel Marketplace will take place at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre. It will bring together close to 50 international media representatives, agents of online travel agencies and other mega travel agencies, as well as regional government officials.
“So, it is extremely important because we also have just over 100 buyers – individuals who are going to buy-in to the image of what it means to be in Barbados and what it means to interact with Barbadians,” Forde said.
“When they buy into it, what they do is they go back and sell that experience to other individuals who are looking for a great cultural experience, that are looking for a corporate experience, a sporting experience, a wedding destination, whatever it is. Our whole point is to make a huge impact on the visitors that are coming to let them know that Barbados is number one.”
Forde, who took up his position at the BHTA in February, said events such as Caribbean Travel Marketplace helped to position the island as a year-round destination.
However, he said for Barbados to truly achieve the goal of attracting a high number of visitors every month, more efficient collaboration among stakeholders and focus on several specific niche areas were required.
Forde said that in addition to ramping up business in newer source markets, local officials were working together to diversify the tourism industry offerings.
“It is about how do we diversify our tourism offerings for the 12 months of the year looking at sports tourism, culture and heritage tourism, all these different areas are very important to diversifying what the options are, especially using technology as well,” he said.
The BHTA CEO said as far as he was aware, all was on track for hosting the event.
Regarding the impact of the current dry conditions on agricultural production and the supply of produce to hotels and restaurants, Forde said there should be no concern about shortages.
He explained that hotel operators and restaurants had the ability to adjust their menus if required, and they continued to work closely with suppliers.
“They haven’t had that challenge. They work with the advice of their providers, whether small or large, in terms of what produce is coming in or if there is a mass distribution network. I haven’t heard any concerns currently,” he said.
(MM)