BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, Nov 13, CMC – The Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association (BHTA) says it remains optimistic that the island will experience a stronger growth in the tourism sector next year.
BHTA chief executive Ryan Forde said that the sector is forecast to increase by eight per cent reporting resilient performance in the wake of early disruptions this year.
“Thankfully, we have been able to weather the storm that we faced in January enough to move forward and face 2027 with heightened expectations.”
Forde also noted that international promotional efforts had also increased, with targeted campaigns conducted in partnership with Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc (BTMI) and regional partners.
These included group travel initiatives at IMEX in Las Vegas, tourism showcases during the Southern Florida Roadshow, sports-focused networking at TEAMS USA and participation in the World Travel Market (WTM) in London to engage the UK and wider European markets.
Outreach also extended to Latin America, the Caribbean and new markets, including a campaign in Nairobi, Kenya.
In Barbados, the BHTA launched the Bajan Harvest Hub, an agrotourism project designed to link agriculture and tourism. It aims to increase local production, develop commercial relationships and encourage greater use of homegrown produce on menus through a transparent back-house distribution system.
Forde said the year had begun with heightened geopolitical tensions, wars, kidnappings and a rise in the cost of doing business, affecting arrivals and growth.
But he believes that “forecast to be a much better year once the challenges continue to stabilise, as winter 26-27 is forecast to be facing ahead by eight per cent versus last year”.
Meanwhile, the BHTA is urging businesses to offer more distinctive products and experiences to increase visitor spending beyond resorts and spread tourism’s economic benefits across communities.
Forde said increasing tourist spending on the island required businesses to move away from similar retail and dining models, urging investment in distinctive, competitive and authentic offerings that encourage visitors to venture beyond resorts and support the economy.
“We pay attention to it by encouraging our members to diversify their offerings, because remember we’re still an association that represents our members, but we don’t get into the actual business trade because that’s a whole different entity.”
Forde said international hospitality brands and traditional resort amenities played an essential role in attracting visitors, but tourism’s full economic potential lay in the variety and uniqueness of commercial experiences.
However he warned “if you’re offering everything that everybody else is offering, then the spend is obviously gonna be less because you’re competing against multiple people.”
He said associations and marketing bodies provided the framework for promoting Barbados, but developing new products ultimately depended on entrepreneurial investment.
“And that’s why we always say when you go to open up businesses here or you’re operating businesses here, try to diversify your offering because from a tourism standpoint, we are called to bring people in as well as the host.
“There are opportunities out there for Barbadians to actually invest in new things.
It doesn’t always have to come from an association that represents our lobby, our lobbies, because we can represent the same businesses that open or the Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc (BTMI) can market the same businesses.
“Tourism is really the experiences that are around us. So I would say if there are opportunities out there, Barbadians to research, invest into it, and then let us represent you and market you and bring more opportunity,” Forde told reporters.
CMC//gh/ir/2026