Page 3 - Geoffrey Roach News Today

Tourism officials hope to be rid of amber listing Article by by Marlon Madden Local tourism officials are warning that Barbados must be placed on the United Kingdom’s “green list” for travel as soon as possible if the island is to cash in on any noticeable uptick in tourism activities this summer. This comes as officials report continued subdued tourism arrival numbers and visitor spend, which has been the case for the past year, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The UK rema...

Tourism sector gets adjustment to BEST Article by by Marlon Madden Some areas of concern within the $300 million dollar scheme put in place to help prop up the tourism sector over the next couple of years have finally been tweaked and approved. This disclosure from Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association (BHTA) officials, who, while opting not to give specifics, said they were satisfied more of the organisation’s members will take advantage of the programme. The Barbados Employment a...

‘Overhaul’ pending for tourism’s BEST plan Article by March 11, 2021 The scheme put in place to help tourism business maintain jobs and upgrade their facilities will now undergo periodic reviews, tourism officials said Wednesday. But the officials remained tight-lipped about the changes that are on the horizon for the aid programme, known as the Barbados Employment and Sustainable Transformation (BEST). Chairman of the Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association (BHTA) Geof...

Further updates coming to protocols Article by March 11, 2021 Barbados could soon be making special provisions in its protocols for individuals who have been vaccinated and want to visit the island, Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Dr Kenneth George has hinted. He gave the indication on Wednesday during the first quarterly general meeting of the Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association (BHTA) for this year, held under the theme Tourism: Surviving Beyond COVID-19. “Soon from now ...

Social Share Barbados’ long-stay visitor arrivals plummeted to 93 per cent but tourism officials remain optimistic the industry will rebound. Chief executive officer of the Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association (BHTA), Senator Rudy Grant, painted a gloomy picture of the current situation in a media conference on Thursday, revealing that hotel occupancy had fallen as low as six per cent in January. The BHTA executive attributed the dramatic drop in numbers to several factors associated wit...

Officials pin hopes on tourism’s resurgence Article by February 19, 2021 As residents get ready for a full lockdown, stay-at-home weekend, key stakeholders in the tourism industry are appealing to everyone to obey the rules and continue to follow the protocols. Eager to see a comeback for the once bustling tourism industry and a return to a greater level of normalcy, the top-brass of the Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association on Thursday issued a call to residents to obey ...

Tourism industry braces for 90 per cent hit Article by January 29, 2021 For the second time in less than a year, layoffs are said to be looming in the tourism industry, as hotels record hundreds of cancellations for the high-season months of February and March. Stakeholders told Barbados TODAY the country’s new travel protocols when coupled with the tightening international restrictions have created the “perfect storm” for players in Barbados’ main foreign-exchange ...

Social Share The Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association (BHTA) stands behind Government’s efforts to keep the country safe in the enforcement of the COVID-19 management protocols. In a statement by chairman Geoffrey Roach on Thursday, he said membership supported the revision of the protocols and continued to work closely with the Ministries of Health and Wellness and Tourism and International Transport. “Additionally, any breaches of these protocols and processes that are brought to our...

Praise for ‘our Butch’ Article by Butch Stewart for the mark he made on Barbadian and Caribbean tourism. Stewart, founder of Sandals Resorts International, died on Monday at age 79 in the United States where he was receiving treatment for an undisclosed illness. Following his death, tributes from across the tourism industry have described him as an unstoppable force of an entrepreneur who set high standards for the Caribbean tourism product. Prime Minister Mia Mottley said that th...

by Marlon Madden The year 2020 started out on a high for many businesses in Barbados, with soaring expectations and plans for several projects. Despite starting the year with an economic decline, Government was also optimistic about several key development projects getting started, and favourable economic growth. Then came the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, and expectations were immediately lowered, hopes dashed and new plans emerged. Shortly after the pandemic started affecting the isl...