Barbados must deepen its transport ties with Latin America to drive trade, tourism and regional influence, Prime Minister Mia Mottley said at the unveiling of interCaribbean Airways’ new aircraft at Grantley Adams International Airport on Tuesday.
She described the new aircraft, Spirit of Barbados, registered as VQ-TBB and carrying the Barbadian flag on its tail, as a proud moment for the island. But she used the ceremony to press airline executives and aviation leaders to expand regional connectivity and open new markets.
“I want to say to you that we look forward to also discussing how we can open up Latin America and in particular northeastern Brazil,” she said. “That has significant implications for us not just in terms of tourism, but also in terms of cargo and in Barbados’ ambition to become an agro-processing hub for the southern and eastern Caribbean and northern Latin America.”
She argued that Barbados, once a hub “for the wrong reasons”, must now reposition itself as a genuine gateway for the wider Caribbean, with stronger links across the north of the region.
“Your linkages to the northern Caribbean – to Bahamas, to Turks and Caicos, to Havana in Cuba, to Jamaica – are so important, so that we don’t only operate within the context of the eastern and southern Caribbean, but we claim the entire region as our own,” she said. “We must create opportunities for Bajan businessmen and Bajan travellers, but equally for those coming into Barbados, so that Bajan workers can continue to earn the best possible living.”
Mottley underlined tourism’s importance, noting that “almost one in every two dollars of production” in the economy depends on the sector.
“Three times our population almost visits us on an annual basis as long-stay passengers, and almost four times our population visits us for one day, at least in the cruise industry,” she said.
She reminded the audience of the economic fallout during the COVID-19 shutdown: “We found out the hard way in 2020, that when the tourists stopped coming, all of a sudden the pig farmers didn’t have enough people to buy their pork, and the poultry farmers didn’t have enough people to buy their chicken, and the vegetable farmers and the fruit farmers were not necessarily benefiting from the sales.”
The prime minister pointed to new duty-free concessions on kitchen and cooking equipment to help small food businesses thrive, keeping tourism’s benefits closer to communities.
“What people love about Barbados is the ability to go through every nook and cranny and to engage with Bajans wherever they are and to feel that earthy warmth that is truly Bajan,” she said.
Mottley also welcomed confirmation that interCaribbean Airways plans to build a maintenance facility at GAIA.
“I’m told that there is an FBO arrangement that should be allowing you to build some hangar space on this airport, and it should start, I’m told, in early first quarter of 2026,” she said, adding that the project had been delayed while the airline focused on safeguarding its fleet in hurricane‑prone Turks and Caicos. (SB)
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