The Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc. (BTMI) has made the decision to move Tourism Week from its traditional September staging to December, to align more closely with the start of the winter tourism season.
BTMI’s chief product development officer, Marsha Alleyne, said the new date was also a deliberate shift to better reflect changing industry dynamics and visitor patterns.
Speaking to the media during a stop at Pelican Island on Wednesday, Alleyne explained that the week of activities was designed to recognise tourism workers, entrepreneurs and long-standing partners who helped to sustain the industry year-round.
“At BTMI we’re always reimagining, we’re always doing things differently and thinking about new ways to really do things. We felt that it really sat well in putting Tourism Week at the very start of what we’ve known traditionally as the start of the winter season.
“This week, which started on December 14 until December 21st, is our celebration of all things tourism; tourism week, tourism workers, and tourism everything,” Alleyne said, adding that the programme was also about direct engagement with communities.
“This morning we are part of the tourism caravan, where we’re going from village to village, or community to community and town to town, talking about tourism and also getting an opportunity to bless some people because we’re spreading, of course, Christmas cheer as well.”
Alleyne said the new schedule would also allow visitors to participate in the celebrations.
“We wanted to coincide the week with that level of activity, so we’re still doing the same great things, same great activities, but we’ve just moved it so that we can encourage and have our visitors be part of what we’re doing here on the island as well as we celebrate Tourism Week,” she said.
She said the week opened with a church service on December 14, at Mount of Praise Wesleyan Holiness Church, where prayers were offered for the industry’s continued success.
Alleyne outlined several visitor appreciation activities planned as part of the celebrations, including events at both the Bridgetown Port and the Grantley Adams International Airport.
She said this year’s programme recognised the growing importance of cruise tourism, while pointing out that the BTMI was using the week to highlight tourism stalwarts and long-serving partners across multiple platforms.
“For the entire year, we would have celebrated our tourism stalwarts at all of our loyal visitors’ receptions, and this year we are showcasing all of them in the newspaper and in the print media and of course on social media as well,” Alleyne said.
“If you have a tourism worker sitting next to you in your office, in your family, tell them that you wish them well because we really depend on these men and women who make our industry thrive.”
The BTMI officer added that the organisation was also working closely with Export Barbados to increase visitor traffic through the rebranded Pelican Village space, particularly during peak cruise periods.
She pointed to upcoming cruise calls, including New Year’s Eve, as key opportunities to showcase local products and experiences.
“Pelican Village has been rebranded to Pelican Island, and one of the things that we’re doing, we’re working very, very closely with Export Barbados to ensure that there is not a trickle in, but a pouring down of visitors coming through the space,” Alleyne said.
“We’ll be working synonymously with Export Barbados to ensure that we showcase all that we have to offer, both in the cruise terminal and here at Pelican Island.”
During the visit, BTMI officials interacted with several entrepreneurs, as lively tuk band music and performances by Mother Sally added to the atmosphere.
The Community Tourism Caravan forms part of Tourism Week celebrations under the theme ‘Tourism and Sustainable Transformation’, highlighting how tourism is driving sustainable livelihoods, empowering local entrepreneurs and transforming communities while preserving cultural traditions and heritage.
(SZB)
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