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Thea’s Passion for Tourism 

by Barbados Today
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Thea Renee has found her calling working in tourism and hospitality, but it was not always an easy road. After secondary school, The 32-year-old initially pursued a degree in Linguistics at the University of the West Indies (UWI) Cave Hill Campus and worked in various fields, but ultimately, she realised that her true passion was her love for Barbados and helping others fall in love with her country, too. 

Undaunted by the process of starting over, Renee applied for jobs at all of the hotels on the south coast of Barbados and secured her first job in the industry at Pirates Inn Hotel. 

“I felt like I found my calling and fell in love with it. I enjoyed meeting new people, learning about their cultures and sharing ours. It made me feel good to share our country with others,” she told Barbados TODAY.” 

The ambitious mother of one worked at a couple of hotels over the years and decided that it was time to get some formal training under her belt. She applied for the associate degree in Tourism and Travel at the Barbados Community College Hospitality Institute (BCCHI) (now the Jean and Norma Holder Hospitality Institute and Hotel PomMarine). After successfully completing the programme, she went back to work, armed with theoretical and practical training in navigating the tourism industry. 

However, a few years later, Renee again had an urge to move up the ladder in her field and decided that the next step in her career would be attaining her bachelor’s degree in Hospitality and Tourism Management at UWI Cave Hill. At that time, she was head of the front desk department at a hotel on the south coast and pursuing her degree part-time. Two years into her degree, she resigned from her job to pursue her education full-time, confident that she would return better equipped to continue to climb the ranks in the hospitality sector. 

Renee was in the penultimate year of her degree when the COVID-19 pandemic struck and changed everything. 

“Before COVID-19, tourism was booming, and I felt like once I was finished studying, it would have been easy to integrate into a new role,” she shared. “However, so many individuals are currently unemployed within the industries, and salaries have been cut. It has made returning to the industry difficult, but I am hopeful things will change soon.” 

After dedicating four years of study and being newly qualified, Renee is currently on a family vacation but is ready to take on the COVID-19 pandemic fight on her return and inject fresh and innovative ideas into the sector. She believes that inclusive tourism is the way forward. 

“Creating a space dedicated to Barbados where everything is offered would help to make tourism more inclusive, as well as provide offers for both locals and tourists. Inclusive tourism increases the number of options for tourism engagement and, by reducing uncertainty, increases the likelihood of enjoyment.” 

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

 

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