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Barbados Hotel & Tourism Association

What is the BHTA?

OUR MISSION               OUR VISION               OUR OBJECTIVES

OUR HISTORY     HOW WE FUNCTION   PRIMARY ROLES  OUR ACHIEVEMENTS

Welcome to a world of exciting benefits and opportunities! Welcome to the Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association (BHTA)!

We are a non-profit trade association, which exists to serve the mutual interests of our diverse membership. Our membership embraces a vast network of private sector corporate entities, including over 76 hotels and guesthouses representing over 80% of the total room stock of the island. Our tourism service members and supporting services members: airlines, restaurants, real estate and villa agents, tour representatives and operators, attraction and activity operators, travel agents, cruise services, retailers, local and international trade and consumer press, advertising and public relations agencies, technology providers, consultants, and suppliers of goods and services, represent over 60% of our total membership.

Together with our members, our public and private sector social partners, we work towards the sustainable growth and development of our local tourism product, helping Barbados to maintain its status as a world-class destination. Our members are the catalysts, and BHTA is their voice. Through our alliances with other regional and international agencies, our members benefit because of the strength of our unity and shared resources. The BHTA has established international alliances with the Caribbean Hotel Association, the Caribbean Tourism Organisation, the International Hotel & Restaurant Association, the Barbados Tourism Development Corporation, the Barbados Tourism Authority, and the American Hotel & Lodging Association.

OUR MISSION

To bring people in tourism together; understanding and responding to their vital needs in a context of meaningful sharing of information and professional representation

OUR VISION

To be the National Driving Force for Achieving Global Excellence in Tourism, providing Private Sector Leadership for a Vibrant Hospitality Industry, which fuels the Continuous Development Of our Nation.

OUR OBJECTIVES

• To work assiduously with its members, to implement programmes and to provide services which will ultimately lead to the attainment of its mission.
  
• To establish a strong network system comprising the BHTA’s membership, consequently improving the level of cooperation and understanding among membership, while providing services for the development of the tourism industry.
  
• To maintain our vision as a "Learning Organisation", emphasizing increased adaptability to the accelerated pace of change within our environment, emphasizing creativity which pushes us beyond just coping with change, to anticipating change; in essence getting ahead of the market and competition.
  
• To aid in the functioning of tourism operations in Barbados through the development of projects, while maintaining proper standards of goods and services; labour relations; employee welfare; public relations; marketing; finance; training; advertising and promotion; product development and environmental issues.

 OUR HISTORY

Established in 1952, the then Barbados Hotel Association (BHA) comprised a Committee of Management with the following members:

Chairman:  Winston B. Ward - Paradise Beach Club
Members:   A. M. Charlie Taylor - Hotel Royal
                  Mrs. Eileen Robinson - Bagshot House
                  Mr. Fred Goddard, MCP - Windsor Hotel
                  Mr. Peter Morgan - St. Lawrence Hotel
                  Mr. Arthur Brookes - Accra Beach Hotel

The BHA worked closely with the Publicity Committee, a private organisation which was the forerunner of the Tourist Board.  In 1957 the BHA was converted to a limited liability company. At the first Board of Directors meeting on April 1. 1957, the following persons were appointed to offices:

President: Peter Morgan
Vice-President: Mr. Fred Goddard MCP
Secretary Treasurer: Mr. Arthur M. Jones J. P.
Directors:
 Mrs. J. L. Harris
Mr. A. M. Taylor (Royal)
Mr. N. Mitchell (Colony Club)
Mr. R. Ersham (Marine)
Mr. W. B. Ward (Paradise)

One noteworthy achievement of the BHTA is the leading role it took in establishing the forerunner of the Caribbean Hotel Association (CHA) in 1959.  Significantly in 1994, the name of the organisation was revised from the Barbados Hotel Association (BHA) to the Barbados Hotel & Tourism Association (BHTA). This was to reflect the broadening scope of membership and to take cognizance of the fact that the tourism industry is not limited to the involvement of hotels only, but was all encompassing, embracing the non-accommodation sector as well.

Over the years, the Association has grown to enfold over 200+ accommodation and non-accommodation members. The accommodation members are categorized into four groups:

1. Luxury Class Hotels
2. A Class Hotels
3. B Class Hotels
4. Apartments (Guesthouses)

Our direct and supporting members are those businesses and individuals that provide services and support to the tourism industry.  These make up our Direct Tourism Services (DTS) category, which is subdivided as follows:

• Tourism Services - Business whose main income is derived directly from the tourism industry.
• Restaurants - Stand-alone restaurants
• Supporting Services - Businesses whose main income is not derived from the tourism industry.
• Students

HOW WE FUNCTION

A Board of Directors governs the policies of the organisation. The 12 members include:

Our Project Teams

The standing committees each comprise of a chairperson, deputy chairperson, and a select number of individuals who work together to effectively and efficiently to support the daily operations of the Association. At present, the committees and their chairs are as follow:

• Luxury Class Hotels

• A & B Class and Apartments

• Finance and Fundraising

• Membership and Constitution

• Safety and Security

• Marketing and Public Relations (Product/Quality Development)

• Direct Tourism Services

• Human Resource Development (Labour & Training)

Standing Sub-committees

• Environment
• Evening Of Elegance
• Small Hotels of Barbados
• Technology
• Tourism Education Awareness & Me (TEAM)

OUR PRIMARY ROLES

The BHTA functions as the nucleus in a system which encompasses the local, regional and international private and public sector tourism industry.  Although the services we provide are wide and varied, depending on our membership needs, we have five (5) primary roles.

The Association has established a framework for effective lobbing on Governmental and non-Governmental entities to represent members' interests, to create and maintain an environment in which all of our members can optimize their potentials as they relate to the industry, both at the economic and social levels.  The Association represents it members on several committees and forums including:
The Board of the Barbados Tourism Authority (BTA)
The Board of the Tourism Development Corporation (TDC)
Marketing Committee - BTA & TDC
National Disaster Preparedness Committee

Labour Relations & Human Resource Development

In conjunction with the Barbados Employers Confederation, the Association seeks to establish the optimum framework and most congenial labour relations climate for its members. This involves formally negotiating with labour unions as it relates to the collective bargaining process.

For over 30 years, we have been actively involved in the establishment and facilitation of training opportunities, seminars, programmes and standards which constantly seek to improve the level of professionalism in the industry, and contribute to the sustainability of our present and future valuable workforce.  Through our association with the Caribbean Hotel Association and our member consultants, we offer courses in Food and Beverage, Environmental management, Hurricane Preparedness and Customer Service among others.  We offer training at all levels, for both accommodation and non-accommodation sectors. We also offer health and life insurance as well as pension plan schemes to all our members and their employees.

The Association is committed to the local promotion of the local tourism industry to all Barbadians, to stimulate a perception of ownership.  Barbados as a destination is renowned for the friendliness of our people, and we wish to maintain and highlight this asset.  Through our community activities and educational programmes, working with schools, colleges and universities, we seek to educate all Barbadians of their role in the industry and to highlight the stellar contributions of those already in the industry. We believe that the future of our industry depends on this.  Working together with our strategic partners, we promote programmes such as Hello Tourism, Adopt-A-School, Tourism Education Awareness & Me (TEAM), Careers Roadshow and many more. 

As the hub of a vast network of local, regional and international members, suppliers and strategic partners, the  BHTA has as one of its major functions, the collection and dissemination of timely data and  information.  This assists us with achieving the mission and helps to keep our members at the cutting edge of the industry. This objective is achieved through the body’s own internal communications system which includes a weekly fact sheet, quarterly newsletter, membership handbook, and is greatly enhanced by the existence of the world wide web; email and our web site with its members only section and links to our strategic partners.

We are very aware of the fact that Barbados, tourism product exists in a highly competitive, dynamic global tourism market.  For us to maintain and gain market share, we need to constantly look at the development of our product to ensure the satisfaction of our customers and the attraction of new business to the destination.  Our product includes the plant and its people, and our programmes are aimed towards their development as a prerequisite to our facilitation of marketing.  The Association works constantly to build an impressive network of strategic alliances and seek marketing opportunities for all of our members.  We encourage the cooperation of our accommodation members and various entities in the development of marketing initiatives such as the "Miles Closer" promotion, the "Intimate Hotel of Barbados" project, "Treasures of Barbados" and Team Barbados which benefits both our accommodation and non- accommodation members, all aimed at making Barbados world's premier Caribbean destination.

SOME OF OUR ACHIEVEMENTS

1. Lobbied for and participated in the construction of a new Tourism Incentives Act, a revision of the outdated Hotels Aids Act, to recognise that Tourism is al inclusive and spread fiscal benefits beyond the accommodation sector to include all tourism related businesses.  Also to create a friendly climate to encourage local and foreign investment.
2. Negotiated Value Added and Land tax concessions for the hotel industry.
3. Lobbied for the establishment of a $30 million Tourism Investment Fund to establish the Small Hotels and Tourism businesses.
4. Negotiated the $20 million Small Hotels Fund to facilitate the formation of the Small Hotels of Barbados Inc. group of small hotels, which trade under the brand of Intimate Hotels of Barbados and functions under the umbrella of the Barbados Hotel & Tourism Association.
5. Establishment of a Crime Prevention Fund with the Tourism Development Corporation and the Barbados Tourism Authority.
6. Negotiated reduced WTO Bound Rates and suitable quotas aimed at reducing the which had a negative impact on the very high operating costs for our industry organisations.
7. Lobbied against the first draft of the proposed Employment Rights Bill seeking modifications to the Bill, to create a more favourable operating environment for our member businesses and future international investment in our local tourism industry.
8. Lobbied for the creation of a fast track model within Government which facilitates investment applications and entrepreneurship in the industry.
9. The negotiation of the collective labour agreement between the Barbados Workers Union and our accommodation members.  Current two year agreement ends on December 15th, 2001.  New negotiation scheduled after June 2001.
10. The continual watchdog and lobbying action of our Safety and Security project team to ensure that we eliminate acts of violence against visitors.  We work with our Government and the Royal Barbados Police Force, facilitating the acquisition of equipment to assist police officers, the provision of uniforms for Island Constables and Tourism Awareness training, in a effort to assist with a more effective fight against crime.
11. Assisting with the creation of a BHTA / BTA Joint Marketing Initiative – intention to work jointly in creating a national marketing perspective for Barbados.
12. The development of a tourism career awareness programme (TEAM) aimed at highlighting careers within the industry and sharing industry knowledge with the public.
13. Adopt-a-School and support of the "Hello, Tourist!" programmes.
14. The establishment of the Barbados Environmental and Sustainable Tourism (BEST) Programme in collaboration with PA Consulting Group, Caribbean Alliance for Sustainable Tourism (CAST) and the Tourism Development Corporation (TDC), aimed at promoting environmentally friendly practices to our members and the community.
15. We had representation on the International Labour Organisation tour to Switzerland aimed at improving the human resource portfolio of the Hospitality Industry internationally and by extension Barbados.
16. BHTA Training Fund which provides funds to train staff within the hospitality industry.
17. Customer Service training programme for Restaurants, Police and other industry employees.