BTMI Chairman Roseanne Myers shares her views on World Tourism Day 

The theme for World Tourism Day 2021 is “Tourism for Inclusive Growth”. Chairman of the Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc (BTMI) and chief executive officer of Atlantis Submarines Barbados, Roseanne Myers, outlines some of the areas in which the industry is hoping to regain solid ground coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, which threw it into a global tailspin over the last two years.

Barbados TODAY: The theme for this year is “Tourism for Inclusive Growth”. What does this expression mean to you?

Roseanne Myers: World Tourism Day is an opportunity to refocus on tourism’s actual and potential contribution to the sustainable development of the island. Coming out of the initial impact of the pandemic, we are rebuilding our numbers from almost base zero. The theme “Tourism for Inclusive Growth” reminds us that as we rebuild, we must have an all-embracing approach to ensuring that the benefits be felt tangibly and positively across all socio-economic brackets. Benefits must accrue not only to owners of capital from hotels, villas, attractions, and other stakeholders but to the employees and small entrepreneurs whose “sweat equity” is worth just as much. In short, a “rising tide must lift all boats”. The definition of tourism for inclusive growth in the era of COVID-19 also means to me that as we rebuild, we must integrate sustainable and healthy practices as well and be mindful of carrying capacities and use of alternative energy sources to reduce the impact of increased visitorship over the next few months. All-inclusive growth for the BTMI as the chief marketing agency means that we reopen traditional markets and attempt to exploit new opportunities, especially in Africa by exploring the intersection between tourism, trade, international business, and investment. We fully endorse and are seeking to operationalise the Team Barbados approach to increase the length of stay and visitor spend.

Barbados TODAY: How is the local industry trending now? For example, has the Delta variant of COVID created any challenges? 

Roseanne Myers: Having opened to vaccinated travellers in May, between then and September, our arrival numbers are at 20 per cent of 2019’s for the same period. The markets have been opened in a phased way, and we opted to slowly invite visitors back when we had all protocols in place. So, first, we saw the US, then the UK, and now, we are seeing the reopening of Canada based on the restrictions of those source markets. The Caribbean and Latin America have been greatly impacted and, therefore, will be slower. It has been a modest reopening in a safe manner. We are hopeful, based on projections, that from November, we will be back to full strength in airlift from all our major markets. Accommodation partners are already projecting very strong occupancies, but we have to examine trends further to see whether that is true at the bottom and middle of the market. 

The cruise season is now being negotiated line by line, and we are hopeful to see 50 to 60 per cent of our overall business being confirmed by the end of September, consisting of mainly homeporting ships. Negotiations for transit calls are being intensively done also with each cruise line and are presenting more complex challenges but hopefully not insurmountable hurdles.

Barbados TODAY: Can you give a general overview of the BTMI’s approach to tourism at present and any ideas as to whether it needs tweaking based on the current situation, as well as post-COVID?

Roseanne Myers: The BTMI’s approach is to strengthen existing pre-COVIDpartnerships and secure the airlift and cruise traffic from all of our main traditional source markets while seeking new opportunities. Airlift out of the US, UK and Canada will return to full strength as we enter October and November and throughout the winter season. In Continental Europe, we have added flights from Amsterdam utilising KLM to open a new gateway and in the United Kingdom with a new direct service out of Scotland. 

The concept of inclusive growth on World Tourism Day supports our niche partnership drive to further diversify our product. That is the major tweak that we must make. Barbados “beyond the beach” is our target to segment the source markets based on passions and interests and include partners on the ground in Barbados in the widest sense. We will add to the traditional niches of Romance and Meetings and Incentives, Culinary, etc.,xbg and add medical tourism, health, and wellness, faith-based tourism, including for the first-time halal tourism. Mindful tourism niches which target those looking to visit and interact with sustainable tourism products; and voluntaristic and community-based products will see increased focus. The Welcome Stamp will remain a major focus as the most innovative tourism strategy born out of COVID- 19. 

The opportunity to pursue possibilities under the umbrella of Real Estate Tourism has been raised and will be explored. The Blue Economy as a leisure niche has always been there but not a major feature of our marketing in a structured way. We are happy to engage with the partners on the ground in all aspects of water-based activities to drive marketing messages to persons with that passion. 

All the rum producers in Barbados provide a very powerful niche partnership to establish Barbados as home to the best rums in the world. Working jointly on that niche partnership BTMI will seek to explore those attributes we have taken for granted. We have a rich heritage, but our assessment says we need to do a much better job at enriching our appeal by exposing such.

We must emerge from this COVID era, however long it takes, a better value and more appealing destination than when we came in and with benefits for all.

This article appears in the September 27 issue of World Tourism Day. Read the full publication here.