BTMI CEO tenders in his resignation

Below is a press release from the BTMI.

The Board of Directors of the Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc. (BTMI) has announced that its CEO, William ‘Billy’ Griffith, tendered his resignation today, effective December 31, 2019, to give the organisation an opportunity to recruit a new leader and ensure a smooth transition as his contract comes to an end.

Chairman of the Board, Sunil Chatrani, thanked Griffith for his significant contribution to the organisation since its inception in 2014 and wished him the best in his future endeavours. Chatrani added that the search for a new CEO will commence immediately as the organisation transitions into a public/private sector partnership (PPP).

Speaking on his departure, Griffith said, “I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to have given back to my country by contributing to its most valued sector. I am also extremely proud of what we have been able to achieve in the past five years. Barbados is a truly unique destination with so much to offer, and it is with pride that we have worked as a team to showcase that to the world.”

During his tenure, Griffith spearheaded a 30 per cent increase in visitor arrivals to Barbados to an all-time record of 682,000 in 2018, as air capacity to the island also grew by 22 per cent. Total Visitor expenditure also increased by 34 per cent during the period to USD $1.2 billion in 2018. Griffith oversaw high profile partnerships on behalf of the BTMI that led to the introduction of new flights to the island including Copa Airlines direct from Panama which began in 2018, and the Lufthansa direct service from Frankfurt, Germany, which commences Monday. His leadership of the organisation also resulted in the destination receiving several major awards during his tenure as well as his personal achievement of being awarded ‘Caribbean Tourism Director of the Year 2019’ by Carib Journal earlier this year.

Wishing the BTMI continued success and lauding its talented and hard working staff, Griffith said he’s looking forward to his new professional journey.