Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley, CHTA Caribbean Travel Forum Keynote 2023

Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley, CHTA Caribbean Travel Forum Keynote 2023

Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley keynoted the CHTA Caribbean Travel Forum, Tuesday 9th May 2023, during the Caribbean Travel Forum, Sandal Barbados.

Barbados’ Prime Minister Mia Mottley kicked off the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association’s (CHTA) 41st Caribbean Travel Marketplace when she presented the keynote address to the association’s second annual Caribbean Travel Forum on Tuesday, May 9, 2023, at Sandals Royal Barbados under the theme “Tourism: The key driver of generational wealth for Caribbean nationals”.

The Caribbean Travel Forum focuses on the business of tourism in the Caribbean with discussions of timely topics such as multi-destination marketing, intra-Caribbean travel with emphasis on air connectivity, sustainability, technology innovation, labor market concerns, taxation and tourism linkages.

Prime Minister Mottley encouraged captains of the travel industry, general managers, thought leaders and government officials to leverage Caribbean Travel Marketplace, which is being hosted by Barbados for the first time, to present the strengths, resilience and attractiveness of the Caribbean region to global buyers, media and potential investors.

The prime minister is known for her bold calls for the international community to recognize how small-island, tourism-dependent countries of the Caribbean have been impacted by external shocks such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the broader issue of climate change.

Her keynote was preceded by the State of the Industry and Region Address from Nicola Madden-Greig, president of CHTA, the trade association which speaks for the interests of the private sector. Other presenters and panelists include Olivier Ponti, Vice President of Insights for ForwardKeys; Jamaica Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett; Cayman Islands Minister of Tourism and Ports Kenneth Bryan, who is also Chairman of the Caribbean Tourism Organization; Charlie Osmound, Co-Founder, Triptease; Neil Foster, President, Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals (HFTP); John Byles, Managing Partner at Chukka Caribbean Adventures; and Marie McKenzie, Senior Vice President, Government & Destination Affairs, Carnival Corporation.

During the Forum, distinguished Caribbean tourism industry professionals were recognized at the CHTA Awards Luncheon where Destination Resilience Awards and the CHTA Icon Award was presented.

The Forum also included panels focused on Responsible Tourism and Technology, featuring discussions around artificial intelligence and its impact on the tourism sector.

“Together we can chart a new path leading out of recovery towards creating a sustainable industry capable of handling future shocks while continuing to drive the region’s growth and development,” said Madden-Greig.

The CHTA president encouraged stakeholders to take the opportunity to participate in the most important discussion and networking opportunity for the future of the tourism industry and the region, while remaining laser-focused on solutions to provide generational wealth for Caribbean nationals.

www.chtamarketplace.com.