Since 2014 we have been charged with displaying to the world the sensational sights, tantalizing tastes and exhilarating experiences that make Barbados an island destination like no other. Here is the news on how we’ve been tracking and how you can get more involved in making our goals a reality.
WINTER 2018
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IN THIS EDITION Barbados is #1 Exciting Speightstown reboot happening now! See the top 10 activities in our markets CHTA marketplace recap 5 resolutions for career success
2018: The Year of Culinary Experiences
William ‘Billy’ Griffith CEO, BTMI
Until then, we work diligently to ensure the stability of our brand worldwide, and trust that a resolution will come quickly.
As the year turns and we make our resolutions, it’s often helpful to have a strategic focus that pulls it all together. That’s why we have officially dubbed 2018 the Year of Culinary Experiences.
changes coming and look forward to seeing this festival grow to its greatest potential.
For years, visitors have enjoyed the diverse gastronomic fare Barbados has to offer - from Cuz’s to The Cliff and everything in between. This fact, coupled with the success of our annual Food & Rum festival, makes culinary the perfect focus for us.
Barbados Family & Friends Club It has been a long time coming and I am happy to say that one of our greatest achievements thus far for 2018 has been the relaunch of our Barbados Family and Friends Club. We have enhanced the programme with new digital assets for easier use, as well as doubling the rewards offered.
We are therefore integrating these delicious culinary experiences into our marketing and PR efforts in each source market. We kicked off with the Barbados Sugar and Rum Season, the brainchild of the Barbados Tourism Product Authority, and have received lots of attention in international media. Next up is the fresh, revamped Oistins Fish Festival happening over Easter weekend, which has become a staple on Barbados’ culinary calendar. We’re very interested in the
For more on the Year of Culinary Experiences, click here.
I am confident that the programme will continue to be successful in delivering quality referral business to our shores. New opportunities In addition to the numerous new accommodations and attractions slated for this year, we are also looking forward to the developments within our source markets. Of particular interest is the introduction of the new Copa service between Barbados and Panama starting this July, and I’m
happy to announce that packages are already in place and bookings are open on the Copa website. We expect the arrival of Copa to result in significant new business for us, and have retained the services of CIIC PR agency to manage our efforts in Latin America pre and post launch. South Coast sewage leak Still of much concern to our partners and stakeholders has been the leak in our South Coast sewerage system. To date we have been working closely with our PR agencies to manage any messages internationally; our Directors have been communicating one-on-one with travel agents, tour operators and other partners globally; and we have also been responding to traveller queries directly via email and social media. We continue to stress to the above that we are anxious to see this problem rectified as it does not reflect the standard of a Barbados holiday. Until then, we work diligently to ensure the stability of our brand worldwide, and trust that a resolution will come quickly.
New & exciting product offerings coming soon! International hotel chains and multi-million-dollar refurbishments aren’t all the changes that Barbados will be boasting this year. In fact, the historic Speightstown in particular is set to receive an injection of quite a few show-stoppers, including a spanking new water theme park.
Speightstown reboot The quaint, historic village of Speightstown will soon boast two new four-star hotels, an international restaurant, Top Deck, featuring Barbadian chef Jason Howard, and a water theme park. The timeline for the completion of all projects is next Winter season. International brand Sandals is also set to open a third resort on the island just a kilometer away later this year. All of this development is taking place not far from where the luxurious Nikki Beach just opened.
Sandals to open 3rd property
The Top Deck opened Feb. 2018
Hugo’s opened late 2017
Heritage Railway by the Abbey Visitors to Barbados will soon be able to take a trip back in time and experience riding the railway line from St. Nicholas Abbey and up the picturesque Cherry Tree Hill. St. Nicholas Abbey is currently working on the million-dollar project to restore the German locomotive and expand its visitor experience. The first trip on the Heritage Railway is scheduled for November 30, 2018. St. Nicholas Abbey expands
Record-breaking 2017, plus U.S. outdoes its 30-year old record of 175,093 visitors 2017 was not only the Year of Sports but also an exceptional one for us as our strategic marketing efforts across our top source markets yielded some of the highest numbers we’ve seen in visitor arrivals for years. Here’s a breakdown:
The results are in and we ended 2017 with a record 663,441 stay-over arrivals; an increase of 5% or 31,308 more visitors over its 2016 record-setting performance. The United Kingdom was once again the top producer of arrivals to Barbados with a 33.5% market share. A total number of 222,322 arrivals were registered for this market, resulting in a marginal decrease of -0.1% from 2016. The United States followed, contributing 28.4% of business with 188,970 arrivals for the year. Canada contributed 12.8% of the business, and recorded an increase of 7.9% or 85,209 arrivals. Trinidad & Tobago, Other Europe, and Other Caribbean saw growth of 5.4%, 4.1% and 3.6% respectively. Other Central & South America also showed a slight growth with a 0.3% increase. Of special note is the United States, who,
while being the second-highest producer of business, grew by a whopping 11.7% over 2016. The United States’ 2017 performance was the highest for that market in three decades – since contributing 175,093 arrivals in 1987. Cruise Overall, the Bridgetown Port welcomed 681,201 cruise arrivals during the period January to December 2017, up from the 594,985 cruise arrivals recorded during the corresponding period of 2016; an increase of 14.5%. There was an increase in the number of cruise ship calls to Barbados when compared with the corresponding period of 2016. Cruise calls moved from 424 during 2016 to 506 during 2017.
These included the top-notch Barbados Surf Pro in April which received stellar reviews; the Dragon World Championships in October; and the two brand-new events in September – the Barbados Beach and Wellness Festival and the Barbados Cycling Festival. These two latter events were particularly well received and displayed strong potential for further development and accomplishment. As a result, we will once again host these in 2018. Well done, team!
Year of Sports 2017 Several successes were noted across the board as we themed 2017 the Year of Sports.
Oistins Fish Festival revamp for 2018! Under new direction, the beloved Oistins Fish Festival is taking on a new look with even more to love. Fittingly done as we brand 2018 the Year of Culinary Experiences, we have already met with the organizers to discuss opportunities for further enhancing the long-running festival. Once again being held over the Easter weekend, which this year runs from Friday, March 30 through Monday, April 2, the festival will be an
exciting medley of delicious food and explosive cultural fun; all against the lovely backdrop of Oistins Bay. More sponsors and activities are slated to come on board, which will translate to a more inclusive experience for all. Stay tuned for the final schedule!
CONNECT BARBADOS MAY 09-12, 2018 The time is fast approaching for the largest trade event on island. Under the theme ‘Blending exciting business opportunities’, we will once again be hosting tour operators from around the world for four action-packed days of B2B meetings and cultural immersion.
Click here to relive last year’s moments.
Top 10 from our markets:
IN EUROPE... Barbados Takes Over ILTM Cannes:
IN THE U.K...
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Barbados Family & Friends Launch: In an intimate gathering on Saturday February 17th, The Barbados High Commissioner, Sir Guy Hewitt, re-launched the exciting BFF programme at his house to key Barbadian diaspora. The event was a great success, acting as a testimony to how much the loyalty and commitment of the diaspora to Barbados is valued. The initiative aims to expand reach across all Barbadian communities throughout the UK as well as celebrating the love and familiarity of the island community.
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Tie the Knot in Barbados: BTMI UK exhibited at this years’ National Wedding Showing held in the Olympia, London on February 18th, collaborating with hotel companies Elegant Hotels and Ocean Hotels, as well as tour operator Caribbean Classic. The one-day event attracted consumers from all over the UK and Ireland, giving BTMI and its partners the opportunity to promote Barbados as a wedding and honeymoon destination and providing information on the diverse services available on the island.
IN THE U.S...
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2 Mile Hill Star at Barbados Night: Another successful partnership continues as once again the Brooklyn Nets hosted “Barbados Night” at Barclays Center during their game against Utah Jazz. The night started with local talent Mahalia singing the US national anthem. Digital billboards flashed the Barbados logo and video clips of the island during the course of the evening. At intermission a trivia game was played giving the audience the opportunity to play for a trip giveaway for two. Damage Control in Hurricane Aftermath: Following the catastrophic 2017 hurricane season and the severe damage to many islands, Royal Caribbean organized roundtable meetings in major U.S. cities with over 600 travel agents in attendance. Barbados was present at each event, giving us the opportunity to let the agents know Barbados is open for business. We gave updates on our tourism product, and agents they left having Barbados top of mind, and feeling confident in selling the island.
For the second consecutive year BTMI Europe participated at the International Luxury Travel Market in Cannes, France. The show allowed their eight co-exhibitors to meet with 96 European tour operators, from primarily France, Germany, Italy and Russia. Co-exhibitors with us were Alleyne Real Estate, Barbados Sotheby’s, Blue Sky Luxury, Coral Reef Club & Sandpiper, Elegant Hotels, Fairmont Royal Pavilion, One Sandy Lane and St. James Travel & Tours. First-timer Jennifer Alleyne of Alleyne Real Estate described the experience as great but intense, affording her the opportunity to make contacts for potential business. SportScheck Destination Photoshoot Set for Barbados: We continue to partner with Germany’s leading sports retailer, SportScheck, who we worked with successfully in 2017 to bring brand awareness about Barbados to this major market through a variety of in-store events and online promotions. This month, SportScheck is bringing three winning customers who participated in their 2017 promotion to our shores to participate in the destination photoshoot for their upcoming catalogue. While on island the team will also meet with a number of top local sportsmen and women, as well as experiencing the diverse activities and attractions Barbados has to offer.
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Minister Sealy, we recently signed an agreement with Copa Airlines which will a twice-weekly service between Panama and Barbados starting July 17. As a result, the CLA department has hired a new PR agency, CIIC, to service its interests in the market. Both the Copa and CIIC teams met in Barbados last month to discuss the marketing and PR efforts pre and post launch of the new service.
IN CANADA...
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Barbados Game Night Sponsorship:
Barbados is continuing to benefit from the ongoing partnership with Ottawa Senators. For the second consecutive year, the destination is enjoying arena visibility at Senators Home Games via RinkBoard placement, along with a social media campaign which is engaging the Senators FanBase. We sponsored the game on February 22, which gave us an amplified presence with video assets and fan interaction, in partnership with Air Canada Vacations and Sugar Bay.
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IN THE CARIBBEAN & L A All Eyes on Latin America Business: The focus is on Latin America as this emerging market recently got two major boosts for business. As announced by
#NoCrewLeftBehind 2018:
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The 2018 edition of the #NoCrewLeftBehind campaign officially launched in Guadeloupe last month. To date, the crew of Barbadian artists and DJs have taken over Trini Carnival, sharing the unmissable vibe Barbados has to offer and encouraging all to follow them to Crop Over 2018.
IN CRUISE... Inaugural Cruise Port Party:
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We teamed up with the Barbados Port Inc. (BPI) to host our first ever port party for overnighting vessels, specifically longstanding partners P&O and Fred Olsen Cruises, during the Christmas season. The event was designed to generate interest and access to the cultural evening experiences that can be enjoyed on the island. With the favourable legislation in Barbados, we aimed to showcase the numerous opportunities available to ships if they homeport. Overall it was a success thanks to celebrated entertainers such as the Pinelands Creative Workshop.
For details on the contest, visit www. nocrewleftbehind.com.
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UR T A FE
Productive week at CHTA marketplace #TeamBTMI and a contingent of local tourism stakeholders and providers including hotels and attractions, recently attended the Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association’s annual Caribbean Travel Marketplace in Puerto Rico, from January 30 to February 1, 2018. At the two-day event, regional tourism suppliers met with buyers from around the world. This year, more than 200 delegates from close to 100 buyer companies, including four new Meetings Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) companies, attended the Marketplace. 2019’s Caribbean Travel Marketplace is already scheduled for Jamaica, but before that, we have Connect Barbados!
WORDS TO INSPIRE Ambition never gets anywhere until it finds partnership with work.
YOUR
human resources CORNER
What are your goals for 2018? 5 RESOLUTIONS FOR CAREER SUCCESS With all the daily responsibilities at work - meetings, reports and critical deadlines, it’s easy to lose yourself in a cycle of ‘doing’. This year, we want to encourage staff to stop, take a moment, and strategize your personal career development goals. After all, an organization is only as strong as its employees! 1. Build your skillset Perhaps the most obvious goal that comes to mind on this list is pursuing a qualification, and that’s because in this age of technology, it’s so easy to do. Online courses make it simpler to balance work and school, and there are some very affordable options out there. Even if you have already obtained a degree - or two - certificates and short courses are a great way to keep yourself fresh and knowledgable in your specific field. 2. Carve out time to self-appraise This one is simple. It requires you to spend a little quiet time at the end of each day, simply reflecting on the work you’ve done. What were your successes? Where did you struggle? What can you do tomorrow to be better? This time alone is great for developing perspective on yourself and your work, and we guarantee you will discover ideas for success that might be latent within you. 3. Find a mentor Who do you admire? Some people make the mistake of thinking that a mentor has to be someone in their field, doing exactly what
they’re doing. But the truth is that inspiration can be found in even the most unassuming places. You might find yourself drawn to the way someone carries themselves, or how they handle difficult situations. These people might not be on your career path, but they can still provide pearls of wisdom to help you reach your destination. 4. Read more Trade publications and news outlets are an excellent way for you to stay ahead in your field. New developments like digital programmes or reasearch methods can make you more efficient in the workplace, and you owe it to yourself to know how other great thinkers and doers are applying themselves in your area. 5. Be active on LinkedIn LinkedIn is the #1 site for professionals. Period. We have recently gotten hold of the Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc.’s company page on LinkedIn and we encourage all employees to join the social networking site if they haven’t already. For those of you who were formerly listed as Barbados Tourism Authority employees, you can now update your profile so that you can view share and interact with our company news!
3 things you didn’t know about our new Senior Director, Support Services! It’s been two months since Atilola, or Ati, has settled into the corner office, and his fun-loving personality has made him a welcome addition to the BTMI team. While many of you may have had short interactions with him, here are three fun facts you may not have known: 1.
My name “Atilola” is Nigerian and means: We have been blessed or We have been honoured.
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I am currently the Manager of the Barbados Under 21 Hockey Team, and my son is the captain for the first time this year.
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I am a proud graduate of the BEST secondary school in the world: Harrison College, Class of 1992.
Social SCENE Highlights from our social media pages.
HAVE YOU SEEN OUR CORPORATE PAGE?
Holetown Festival opening ceremony draws scores of visitors and locals to the West
Colourful cars, beautiful queens, and authentic local dishes have become synonymous with this historic West Coast Festival. Once again we lent our support and were there to watch as the action unfolded during the week-long festival which comprised folk singing, dancing, sports and games, street parades, markets, and food stalls overflowing with traditional Barbadian cuisine. This year’s Queen of the Festival was Sheryl Forde, who emerged victorious on judging night, also taking home Best Talent and Best Evening Wear.