Middle East delegation attends...

Destination targets GCC as lucrative emerging market

Barbados Tourism Marketing, Inc held its first Connect Barbados travel trade show since the pandemic this month, inviting a delegation from the Gulf to accelerate the growth of the inbound GCC market.

Delegates at the four-day event, running from 23 to 26 June 2025, included Nikhil Dogra, Regional Account Manager, and Charlotte Codd, Partnerships Manager at Dnata Representation Services; Holly McCann, General Manager – UAE at Travel Counsellors; Asif Hussain, Manager – Holidays at Al Tayer Travel, and Hamza Mahi, Business Development Manager at Atlantis Holidays & Wellness.

Connect Barbados began with a warm ‘Bajan’ (Barbadian) welcome with live entertainment and a Caribbean cocktail reception at the West Indies Rum Distillery’s Stade’s Visitor Centre in St Michael, on 23 June.

Connect Barbados attendees posed for personalised postcards

Andrea Franklin, CEO of Barbados Tourism Marketing, Inc, opened the conference the next morning at Wyndham Grand Barbados Sam Lord’s Castle Resort in St Philip.

Franklin said: “In the GCC region, we are building on strong foundations we've already made to establish key partners in the UAE, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, where the demand for high-end travel experiences is growing exponentially.

“We are excited to tap that demand in the Gulf by offering customised experiences that appeal to the unique preferences of that market.”

Andrea Franklin, CEO of Barbados Tourism Marketing, Inc

Barbados’ Minister of Tourism and International Transport, the Honourable lan Gooding-Edghill, then addressed the audience, saying: “It is my distinct honour to welcome you to Connect Barbados 2025, our premier business-to-business tourism forum, returning for the first time since 2019. We are truly pleased to have you with us as we reignite this flagship event, a re-established cornerstone of destination Barbados' global outreach.”

“This year's staging comes at a pivotal time as Barbados continues to experience positive momentum in the tourism sector,” continued Gooding- Edghill. “Our performance, from the 2024 winter season through to the first quarter of 2025, has been encouraging, with strong visitor arrivals, healthy hotel occupancy and robust demand from key international markets.”

Hon lan Gooding-Edghill, Barbados Minister of Tourism and International Transport

The revival of the Connect Barbados trade show underlines a new phase of growth for the destination, defined by the warmth and humour of its people as much as its sunny weather and tropical landscapes, and the event successfully showcased all of these elements.

Describing the destination as “the island of R’n’R – rum and Rihanna”, keynote speaker Ryan Forde, CEO of Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association, then outlined several key attractions in Barbados.

R’n’B singer and Bajan native Rihanna regularly returns to her home island to enjoy stays on the west coast at One Sandy Lane, a private enclave of luxury villas with sea views in St James, dubbed the “most iconic address in the Caribbean”.

Discerning holidaymakers can book into neighbouring hotel, Sandy Lane, and dine at world-class restaurants sharing the enduringly popular shoreline, such as QP Bistro, which recently hosted the launch of the latest product in Rihanna’s beauty line, Fenty.

Views over Bathsheba, Barbados

As the self-proclaimed ‘Culinary Capital of the Caribbean’, Barbados’ restaurant scene is booming. Forde pointed out that restaurants are now proudly showcasing locally sourced ingredients, such as breadfruit, sweet potato and black belly sheep, and that the country is establishing a culinary leadership programme to develop the skills of young chefs and bartenders, with a focus on authenticity as well as presentation and creativity.

On the 166-square-mile island’s increase in hotel rooms, Forde said: “Over the past two years, two new hotels have opened: South Point Hotel with 47 rooms and our host hotel Wyndham’s Sam Lord’s Castle with 422. Two more hotels are set to open this year: Hotel Indigo with 132 rooms and the Blue Monkey Hotel & Beach Club with 28 suites. The Marriott Group is also investing heavily, with five of their properties set to be completed by the end of the year, and all by summer 2026.”

After keynote speakers painted a vivid picture of a dynamic luxury travel destination on the rise, local industry experts shared insights in panel discussions and stakeholders attended one-to-one meetings to establish deals and networks to support the country’s growth targets. The event also incorporated an awards ceremony celebrating the country’s leading travel and tourism stakeholders.

Island Safari Barbados offers Toyota Land Cruiser tours

The final day of the event took a “show-don’t-tell” turn, with delegates being treated to island-wide tours of Barbados with leading operator Island Safari Barbados. Rum distillery experiences, treetop ziplines and taking selfies with Mushroom Rock Formations at Bathsheba were all part of the exciting itineraries on offer.

On the heels of a successful trade show, Barbados Tourism is keen to further expand its network of travel agents in the Middle East. Travel trade professionals wishing to connect with Barbados Tourism should reach out to Kile Gittens, Director of Emerging Markets at Barbados Tourism Marketing, Inc, via email on emergingmarkets@visitbarbados.org.

For more information, visit www.visitbarbados.org

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