Barbados: Tourism practitioner, Roseanne Myers, appointed as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc. (BTMI) also Barbados Tourism Product Authority (BTPA).
This important announcement was made by the Minister of Tourism and International Transport, Senator Lisa Cummins, on Friday.
Myers takes 39 years’ struggle to the table as she takes up the post, with the mandate to build and perform a revamped tourism framework that will competitively place Destination Barbados coming out of COVID-19.
Addressing the new appointment, Cummins stated, “This is a crucial time for tourism, and we require our best scholars on economics, investment, business, trade, social policy also industrial relations, education, international and community development. We require our youth, entrepreneurs, and every single stakeholder all unitedly at the table of policy development and implementation. Mrs. Myers is an excellent tourism professional who has successfully run Atlantis Submarines as a marquis attraction. She brings with her a story of leadership that involves stakeholders at every single level.
“From hoteliers to workers, to attractions over the direct tourism services to international allies and regional partners, she is capable of powerful leadership, and I am very much looking ahead to working with her as we reshape our area to face the difficulties of the now, the possibilities of the future, and view our institutions and people to meet the demands of the new tourism sector. We require all Barbadians at the table so we can have an all Barbados approach,” Cummins said.
Currently the General Manager regarding Atlantis Submarines Barbados, Myers has worked as a director on the boards of many major public and private sector tourism organizations, including the BTMI, Barbados Port Inc. (BPI), Tourism Development Corporation (TDC), Deputy Chair of Kensington Oval Management Inc. (KOMI), and Head of the Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association (BHTA). She is additionally a director on the board of the Barbados Tourism Investment Inc. (BTII).
Reflecting on her immediate plans and objectives for navigating the organization through the contemporary crisis, Myers stated, “As I believe the Chairmanship of the Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc. and Barbados Tourism Product Authority, I am dedicated to leading the tourism sector to create a path for ‘when’ and not ‘if’ tourism survives this shock, and to shaping the form it emerges. Firstly, I understand that the challenge should more strategically be seen as the most crucial test for the country, more so than just the tourism sector.
“When we choose the wider perspective, it will support the organization to better answer the hard questions – how can we help the primary focus on safeguarding lives today, while reengineering ourselves and giving creative ‘thought’ leadership to guide the sector to ensure livelihoods for the immediate and long-term future. The first task is to follow national and organizational goals; the second is to listen and consider the institutional knowledge. The third is to structure a data-driven approach to craft the way forward.
“I look ahead to working with the BTMI and BTPA team, and the public and private sector in this regard. Survival requires all hands on deck.”
