BTMI blends business with pleasure

by Shanna Moore

Barbados is ramping up its approach to business tourism by seamlessly integrating cultural and leisure activities into professional events, as demonstrated at this week’s FiX25, the regional fintech conference.

This approach was showcased during FiX25, the Caribbean’s premier fintech conference, held this week at Sam Lord’s Castle Wyndham Grand Barbados Resort, in the latest move to maximise the economic benefits of hosting major conferences while showcasing the island’s rich cultural heritage and attractions.

The three-day event brought hundreds of global delegates to the island, offering not only high-level discussions on financial technology but also curated tours to showcase the island’s culture and attractions.

Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc.’s chief product development officer, Marsha Alleyne, told Barbados TODAY these tours were introduced as part of a push to position the island as a dual destination for business and leisure.

She said FiX25 was part of the state tourism promotion agency’s global strategy to diversify tourism revenue by attracting business tourism and travellers for meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) and social, military, educational, religious and fraternal visits (SMERF), which includes conferences, events and festivals

Alleyne said: “What we see is that there is a wide demographic of persons from all different nations and territories that are attracted to Barbados through FiX25, and we see this as a viable opportunity to attract them to be able to bring their own conferences to Barbados, certainly come back for their family vacations, and see Barbados as a viable destination both for business and for leisure.”

The strategic integration of culture into business tourism has already delivered tangible results for the local economy, with Alleyne sharing that hotels like the Wyndham and Hilton, both equipped with world-class conference facilities, have reported that business tourism is a significant driver of bookings.

“Certainly, from this market, as you think about Wyndham, as you think about the Hilton, and some of the more established hotels that do have conference facilities, a large proportion of their traffic is actually business tourism,” she said.

For this year’s staging of FiX25, the BTMI introduced curated tours on the second and third days of the conference as a new element with the hope of enhancing the experience and creating return visitors.

“So one of the things that we constantly do is evaluate what we’ve done the year before and see how we can improve it,” she said.

“And we thought that one of the things that we would add is those very tours where the persons who are coming here from Fintech can go out and explore Barbados a bit more.”

These tours allowed attendees to step outside the conference setting and engage with the island’s culture and attractions.

Alleyne told Barbados TODAY that the response from delegates has been overwhelmingly positive.

“They say I’m going to come back. I’m going to bring my wife . . . friend . . . husband . . . children, because they’re seeing a side to Barbados that they have not even imagined or known before,” she shared, highlighting the impact of these curated experiences.

She said the success of FiX25 is closely aligned with Barbados’ broader national tourism initiatives, noting the synergy between the efforts and how business and cultural tourism intersect to create a powerful draw for travellers.

“It’s We Gatherin’ 2025, and a lot of our programmes and strategies were helping to market the We Gatherin’ to our diaspora,” Alleyne said. “But in addition to the diaspora, to the friends of Barbados as well, because there are so many people who are very interested in coming to Barbados, coming to a place where they can rediscover even their roots.”

The BTMI is already looking to replicate the model used at FiX25 for future events, making cultural integration a cornerstone of its business tourism strategy.

By providing conference attendees with opportunities to explore the island, BTMI aims to distinguish Barbados as the ideal destination for both work and relaxation.

“This isn’t just about hosting conferences,” Alleyne said. “It’s about showing the world the depth of what Barbados offers, from our beautiful beaches to our rich culture and hospitality. We want every visitor to leave wanting to come back.”

shannemoore@barbadostoday.bb