Barbados eyes Brazil as new tourism source market

Barbados continued its efforts to attract Latin American tourists at the World Travel Market Latin America (WTM LATAM) which was held from April 5 to 7 in São Paulo, Brazil. As one of the largest consumer markets in Latin America and one of the target markets for Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc. (BTMI), Brazil represents major potential beyond visitor arrivals.

“As the tourism industry continues to recover, we’re thrilled to welcome travellers to Barbados. Latin America is poised to be an important market for the growth of our tourism industry for many reasons beyond just visitor arrivals,” said Minister of Tourism and International Transport, Senator the Hon. Lisa Cummins. “Barbados offers unique experiences, rich culture, established infrastructure and diverse products that will appeal to the Latin American traveller and investor. Now, with the return of direct airlift via Copa Airlines, we intend to become even more active in showcasing our uniqueness in this space.”

Twice weekly flights from Panama City to Bridgetown restart in the summer of 2022 via Copa Airlines and come as Barbados is enhancing its civil aviation strategy to position itself as a travel hub in the Southern Caribbean.

Promotional efforts focused on luxury, heritage and eco-tourism, with the unique Bajan rum shop booth providing a jumping-off point to discuss the rich traditions available for Latin American travellers to explore, especially Barbados’ history as the home of rum.

In meetings with key partners, Minister Cummins noted that being able to cater to Latin American travellers was key to ensuring the success of the Copa Airlines airlift. As such, there will be a dedicated focus on foreign language training, specifically in Spanish and Portuguese, as the country makes in-roads in Latin America.

The Barbados delegation was led by the Minister of Tourism and International Transport, Senator the Hon. Lisa Cummins and included Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism and International Transport, Donna Cadogan; Chairwoman of Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc. (BTMI), Shelly Williams; CEO of the BTMI, Jens Thraenhart; BTMI Director for the Caribbean and Latin America, Corey Garrett; BTMI Senior Business Development Officer, Jennifer Braithwaite; and BTMI Public Relations Manager, Aprille Thomas.