New Barbados Hotel & Tourism Association president Patricicia Affonso-Daas says she intends to ensure the industry has a voice and is recognized for its importance to the economy.
Taking over the helm at the BHTA recently, Affonso-Daas told the media she was also aiming for “more and closer” cooperation between the BHTA and Ministry of Tourism, as well as partnerships to sustain the industry.
“It will take a collective mind and a collective will to get out of the challenges that we are facing. There is no easy answer,” she said.
“Neither the Government on its own nor the private sector on its own is going to be able to solve this. It is going to take partnership.”
The BHTA president predicted “a very challenging summer” and told colleagues to “go out there and get the business – go after every piece of business as if it is the only piece of business”, and “listen to the customer and listen some more”.
Daas expressed optimism that some of BHTA’s requests for concessions would be granted in this year’s Budget but admitted “there are some things that I think we probably won’t get.”
But she said there were indications of support for initiatives like the staycation programme during a pre-Budget meeting with the Minister of Finance, and the BHTA was pushing ahead with its Schools Tourism Education Programme to educate “the youngest in society” about the importance of tourism.
“My dream is to have young people think about tourism as a career of choice” she added. (GC)
