BHTA and BETA sign Memorandum of Understanding

The Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association (BHTA) and the Barbados Entrepreneurship & Tourism Association (BETA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).

The two-year arrangement, intended to reinforce the strength of both organisations in the areas of advocacy and lobbying, will also facilitate the pooling of resources for training, marketing and promotional activities, among other undertakings, on behalf of members.

Chairman of the BHTA, Renée Coppin, said she was pleased to be heading the Association’s Board at this important juncture, “Today’s signing, especially at this moment in the history of tourism, emphasises the importance of us working collaboratively. In 2020 we signed a similar MOU with the Intimate Hotels of Barbados (IHB) which continues to be a mutually beneficial arrangement and we are delighted to be teaming up with BETA in the same manner.

“This process commenced under former Chairman Geoffrey Roach and it is symbolic that he is now here as our Interim CEO during this period. I am also pleased that we were able to finalise the agreement while our outgoing CEO Rudy Grant is still with us as he played a major role in the process.

“Within the BHTA we already have a non-hotel accommodation/villa segment which we represent but we also wanted to ensure that the Airbnb type accommodation, which BETA represents, also falls under the BHTA umbrella as this is a great opportunity for the industry to progress initiatives and strengthen the relationships within that segment of the market. We certainly look forward to representing and learning from our new members as we move forward.”

President of BETA, Dawne Pollard, stated that signing of the MOU was a milestone for the Association: “This is really an honour for BETA. Our Past President Deborah Grant started the process and our Executive team is pleased to have brought it to fruition. Our 60 plus members are ecstatic as it indicates that BETA is now being recognised as a key player in the shared economy within the local tourism industry and we want to thank the BHTA for this show of confidence.

“To have the backing and collaborative working arrangement with an organisation such as the BHTA gives our members a higher sense of security and will no doubt strengthen our lobbying, negotiating and promotional efforts in the shared economy and vacation rentals segment of the sector.

“We are definitely looking forward to working with the BHTA and anticipate that our agreement will pave the way for a long lasting relationship and the exchange of valuable information and expertise between our members, which will augur well for the industry on a whole.”