Business executive Peter Harris has been appointed chairman of the Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc. (BTMI), replacing Shelly Williams as government reshuffles the State tourism agency’s board amid efforts to strengthen the island’s tourism growth strategy.
Gayle Talma will serve as deputy chair.
The announcement came on Tuesday in a statement from Tourism Minister Ian Gooding-Edghill who said the reshaped board was intended to bring the mix of skills needed to keep Barbados competitive in an evolving international tourism market.
The new board also includes Sheldene Matthews-Mottley, Andrea Brome, Carol Roberts-Reifer, Ronnie Carrington, Jo-ann Roett, Patricia Affonso-Dass, Kevyn Yearwood, Nicholas Parker, Paul Collymore, Senator Ryan Forde, Cicely Callender and Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism and International Transport Francine Blackman.
“The primary purpose of the board is to implement Barbados’ tourism marketing strategies to ensure consistent brand awareness globally and to achieve year on year growth in visitor arrivals,” Gooding-Edghill said in a statement.
“There is a significant amount of work to be done to accelerate our tourism growth strategy, especially considering the global geopolitical climate.”
The minister added that while Barbados’ tourism sector has remained strong in recent years, the country must continue preparing for external developments that could affect the industry, noting that Barbados’ economy and society heavily depend on tourism earnings.
He said the board’s primary responsibility would be overseeing tourism marketing strategies aimed at strengthening Barbados’ international brand presence and driving sustained visitor growth.
Minister Gooding-Edghill also noted continued expansion of the island’s airlift strategy and efforts to grow emerging markets alongside Barbados’ traditional source markets.
“Our successful airlift strategy will continue to be one of the key pillars central to our tourism growth strategy, along with our further stimulation of emerging markets to add to our existing source markets, to generate increased arrivals to Barbados,” he said.
The appointments are for a two-year term.
Gooding-Edghill also thanked the outgoing chairman for her service.
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