Barbados prime minister Mia Mottley will open the 41st Caribbean Travel Marketplace being held on the island for the first time next month.
She is to present the keynote address to the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association’s Caribbean Travel Forum on May 9 as part of the event.
Being staged at Sandals Royal Barbados, the forum will focus on the business of tourism in the Caribbean with topics including multi-destination marketing, intra-Caribbean travel with emphasis on air connectivity, sustainability, technology innovation, labour market concerns, taxation and tourism linkages.
Mottley will encourage delegates 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 recognise 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.
CHTA president Nicola Madden-Greig said: “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.”