BRIDGETOWN, Barbados -- "It will be a tough winter from North
America to Barbados," said Ralph Taylor, the deputy chairman of the
Barbados Tourism Authority (BTA). "But we expect Barbados can
weather the storm." In response to the Sept. 11 events, Taylor
announced that the island established an economic council with an
allocated budget of about $15 million.
Objectives of the council include revamping the print and
television ad campaigns for winter travel; offering increased
support for industry partners, and creating an expanded Qualified
Travel Consultant (QTC) program, said Taylor.
The ad campaigns are designed to "heighten consumer response as
we head into the winter season" by promoting island events, such as
the annual Jazz Festival and the African-American Film Festival,
according to Hugh Riley, BTA's director of marketing and sales for
North America.
Support for industry partners, including tour operators and
airlines, will be decided on a case-by-case basis and could include
lowered landing fees for airlines and cooperative ad campaigns with
tour operators. Enhancements to the tourism product also will focus
on value-added packaging and reduced hotel rates as well as on
product and service upgrades with new on-island training programs,
he continued.
Enhancements to the QTC program include an introduction of a
Master's course for past QTC graduates; a new loyalty program that
will provide increased benefits for top producers, and a dedicated
QTC Web site for news and specials. "The updated QTC program will
give agents the tools to succeed in the challenging times," Riley
said. Details should be available early next year.
On the agent front, the tourism authority is increasing the
number of fam trips to the island this winter. A spokesman for the
authority said the launch of US Airways' service from Philadelphia
on Nov. 3 should attract more fam participants as well as
consumers.