Travel2latam interviewed Andrea Franklin, CEO of Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc, and Corey Garret, Director for Latin America of the Caribbean destination Barbados.
How does it feel to present your destination for the first time here in Brazil?
Being here in the global travel market is important for the destination and for us. The Latin American market has been growing. We've seen the growth in the last four or five years. That's why we think it's very important to be here while we spread the word about the destination. And it's so important to us that we now have a dedicated team led by Corey based in the market. That's how seriously we take the growth of this entire region. Hotels, attractions, some restaurants and some other service providers that cater to the tourism sector in particular, along with small boutique properties, will be represented here at the booth during WTM Latin America. Additionally, we will be showcasing some of our food heritage, whilst promoting our food and rum festival, which is one of the main events on our calendar. We'll have the bartender on the stand a little later today, giving a taste of what Barbados has to offer. So, in essence, a representative sample of Barbados' tourism product is offered here in the global travel market.
I would like to ask you about your new administration, what are your goals at this time?
Right now we are seeing the growth of the industry, obviously coming out of COVID. Over the last year and a half we have been able to rebuild the name of the Barbados brand among travel agents, the community and our consumers. Our overall strategy is a multi-pronged approach in terms of creating the air bridge to the destination. We have addressed the terms of all our markets, basically trying to increase the airlift to the destination, also in terms of our crews, trying to position Barbados in the Caribbean as it relates to our cruise product.
We have a flight with Copa, but obviously we are looking for new partnerships. We're looking to build relationships here, and have some conversations with major airlines.
Regarding the destination, what do tourists find in Barbados?
Barbados has several different moments to post on Instagram, from the natural landscape to the actual immersion of the product, or a horse race. We have equestrian portfolios, environments, the most incipient horse races, if not the most exquisite, with polo and show jumping shows. You can come and attend one of the most prestigious forestry races in the world and the Caribbean. You can't do that in many other destinations. You can participate in a festival or the marathon, and the list goes on. We are focusing on immersion, so that people who come to the destination can really immerse themselves to really understand what Barbados is.
How does the promotion continue through fairs and events?
We will be back here in São Paulo next month with our PR teams, our mission is not only to participate in the main trade fairs, but also to have key interactions with the media. We are physically in the business climate. Now, we have established connections in Latin America, with the office established in Panama. And we also have a satellite office in Brazil.