BHTA’s priorities outlined

BROADENING the membership, using more research and technology as well as utilising social media, are among the policies Rudy Grant, the new CEO of the Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association (BHTA), will be pursuing on behalf of the Association.

Grant, who took up his appointment at the Association last December, and BHTA Chairman, Mrs. Roseanne Myers, made a courtesy call to The Barbados Advocate yesterday.

In remarks during that call, Grant said that since Barbados is now competing with the rest of the world in tourism services, members of the BHTA have to be fully prepared and equipped to compete effectively and efficiently.

Grant said that marketing is a critical area and as such, they have to utilise the data in their possession to work with their different categories of members, comprising A and B Class properties, luxury, attractions, restaurants and other ancillary services.

“We have to ensure we develop the right type of marketing programme that is able to benefit our members. That is an area where there is a special focus and thrust,” he explained.

He made it clear that the BHTA cannot hope by luck and chance to identify the critical and important issues and then try to design the right programmes. According to him, “We have to do research and technology to be adequately equipped, so that our intelligence is important and the research and technology would allow us to do that.”

“Of course we want to broaden our membership base and that will be a focus for us to seek to increase our membership,” he told The Barbados Advocate. The CEO said that the BHTA’s membership has to be very comfortable they are getting the benefits for being a part of the BHTA.

Grant also indicated that recently, the BHTA engaged a social media consultant. “The reality is that we have to be able to use the new technologies to be able to get the BHTA message and information out to the wider public, and to inform what the BHTA is doing,” he pointed out.

He said too that the concessions which the Government has granted hoteliers, are not a case of giving up revenue but rather ensuring “our hotels, attractions, restaurants and other ancillary services are able to compete effectively in the global marketplace”.

“So that the concessions that are provided through the Tourism Development Act and the Tourism Development Amendment Act, are very important because they assist in terms of the input costs that allow members to be competitive,” he said.

Grant remarked that the manner in which business is done as well, “is something that is important to us in this fast-paced global environment”. (JB)