CTO to undergo further restructuring

Three years after completing a restructuring exercise, the Barbados-based Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO) is again to undergo a reorganisation of its operations.
Chairman Kenneth Bryan confirmed this on Tuesday, while addressing a press conference to report on the Caribbean’s tourism performance and outlook.
Bryan, who assumed the chairmanship in September last year, said he saw his tenure as one of growth and development for the organisation with his focus being on initiatives that will strengthen the organisation and allow it to be “more effective and responsive” to the needs and aspirations of the member states.
“One of the ways I envision this being accomplished is by working closely with the Secretariat to grow the membership, to grow the allied partners that we work with, to grow tourism in the region and to grow the contribution it makes to the economies that depend on it,” he said.
“It is also my intention to strengthen the relationships with other organisations such as the United Nations World Travel Organisation (UNWTO), the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), and even the Central American Tourism Promotion Agency (CATA) to foster greater collaboration. With the Caribbean being one of the most tourism-dependent regions in the world, and the industry moving from recovery to growth, there is an acute need to ensure that the CTO is appropriately-sized and structured, to fulfil the needs and objectives of the members,” said Bryan.
“With this backdrop in mind, consideration is being given to the restructuring of the organisation and reforming its strategic vision and direction for the next five years. In the meantime, noting that the organisation has been without an appointed Secretary General for a lengthy period, the question of leadership has been one of the primary areas identified for immediate attention,” said Bryan.
Neil Walters has been acting as Secretary General for the past several years.
Bryan reported that following a detailed review process, a new job description has been formulated for that position, which more closely reflects the current needs and relevance of the organisation. He added: “The role is structured so that the most senior executive in the organisation has more autonomy and is empowered to provide the level of support expected from the territories we serve.”
He said an open recruitment process is underway.
At the end of 2019, the CTO closed its marketing office in New York, and about a month later, closed its marketing office in the UK while promising a “comprehensive audit” of its headquarters in Barbados.
At the time, the CTO said in a statement that the restructuring was expected to significantly reduce operational costs and would include “some displacement”, while indicating that it would give the organisation greater capacity to undertake its key functions of regional marketing, research and product development.
In 2020, then CTO Chairman Dominic Fedee promised a “leaner and meaner” CTO that could “better tackle some of the challenges that are impacting Caribbean tourism” at the time.
During Tuesday’s media conference, Bryan announced that apart from the leadership of the organisation, he was committed to growing the membership.
“I was delighted last month to welcome the US Virgin Islands into the fold and I will also be reaching out to other countries in the Caribbean diaspora to hopefully bring them on board,” he announced.
He disclosed that a survey of the membership was done in November last year to help determine initiatives, programmes and issues that they would like to see prioritised in the coming 12 to 24 months.
Explaining that this information was still being analysed, Bryan, who is the Minister of Tourism and Transport in the Cayman Islands, said the data “will help to ensure that the work of the secretariat not only dovetails with the goals and expectations of members, but also helps to facilitate growth within their respective tourism industries”.
He also announced that plans are being developed for the return of the CTO’s Caribbean Week to be held in New York June 5-8.
“It was a positive thing before it was removed, but I think it was a cost and office spacing factor why it was removed. I think our new vision and approach moving forward is that we can still get the full benefits from a Caribbean Week but reduce all the expenses that were associated with the previous operations. That’s why we decided to go back that route,” he said, adding that members also asked for its return.
(MM)