Barbados' Minister of Tourism and International Transport Ian Gooding-Edghill recently announced that longstanding tourism professional, Andrea Franklin, will assume the role of chief executive officer of the Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc. (BTMI), from April 1. The news comes following an intense recruitment exercise.
Franklin started her career in tourism as an account executive for Air Jamaica in the 1990s. She later worked at the former Barbados Tourism Authority—now the BTMI— holding the posts of manager, product integration and, later, senior business development manager in the New York office as part of the sales team. During that time, she built networks with key business partners including airlines, travel agents and tour operators.
Her experience with the Barbados Tourism Authority prepared her for her most senior role to date, chief executive officer of Caves of Barbados—now country manager at Chukka Caribbean Adventures—where she has worked for the past five years. While there, she has successfully overseen the operations, marketing and finance of the regional company.
In confirming Franklin as the right woman for the job, Gooding-Edghill added that “Ms. Franklin is a homegrown, well-educated and experienced tourism and hospitality practitioner who has come through the ranks to reach the top tourism post in Barbados. I instructed the BTMI Board to search carefully for someone fit to represent this office and I am satisfied that they have fulfilled their mandate.”
To ensure proper succession planning and the streamlining of the BTMI’s operations, the board of directors also agreed that the new CEO will be supported by a chief operations officer (COO), Cheryl Carter, who will manage the operational functions of the organization in order to facilitate the streamlining of skills and core functions so that the CEO could focus on the strategic direction of the new entity.
The COO will also be responsible for the leadership and performance of all external markets.
Carter, formerly director, U.K., BTMI, is a veteran professional in the tourism industry with over 26 years’ experience in the field. As interim head of global markets in the U.K. in 2019, Carter was able to achieve the highest arrivals for Barbados from its major source market. In addition, she is said to have cultivated professional relationships with airlines, travel and tourism partners over the years who value her leadership and direction. Furthermore, she also led teams in Canada and North America during her tenure as a director.
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