New Year Message 2026: From BHTA

As we welcome the start of a new year, I extend warm New Year’s greetings to the members of the Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association, our partners across the public and private sectors, and to Barbadians everywhere whose livelihoods and communities are closely linked to tourism.

The beginning of a new year invites reflection, not only on what we have achieved, but on how far we have come and where we must now go. In that context, 2025 stands as a defining year for tourism in Barbados: a year marked by resilience, realism, and renewed confidence.

A Year of Meaningful Progress

Against a backdrop of global uncertainty, geopolitical instability, inflationary pressures, and rising operational costs, Barbados’ tourism industry once again proved its strength. Visitor arrivals remained strong across our core source markets, supported by stable airlift, improved connectivity, and continued interest in Barbados as a premium, year-round destination.

Importantly, 2025 was not simply about volume. We saw encouraging improvements in average daily rates, length of stay, and visitor spend, clear indicators that Barbados continues to command value in an increasingly competitive global tourism landscape. Our diverse accommodation stock, from heritage inns and boutique properties to internationally branded resorts, reinforced the depth and quality of the Barbados product.

Investor confidence also remained evident throughout the year. Several properties advanced refurbishment programmes, sustainability initiatives, and product enhancements, while new developments continued to progress. These investments are critical not only to maintaining competitiveness, but to ensuring long-term resilience and relevance.

Advocacy That Matters

Throughout 2025, the BHTA remained a strong, engaged, and constructive advocate for the industry. We consistently raised issues affecting our members, including taxation, labour policy, infrastructure, utilities, insurance, and operating costs, while emphasising the need for predictability, consultation, and balance in policy decision-making.

Tourism is Barbados’ leading economic engine, but it is also an industry made up largely of small and medium-sized enterprises. The health of the sector depends on businesses being viable, investable, and able to plan with confidence. Advocacy, therefore, is not about resistance to progress, but about ensuring that growth is sustainable and inclusive.

Our People at the Centre

At the heart of every tourism success story are our people. In 2025, tourism workers across Barbados continued to deliver with professionalism, warmth, and pride, often under challenging circumstances. Labour shortages, rising living costs, and increased demands tested the industry, yet service standards remained high.

Many operators invested deliberately in training, mentorship, and staff development, recognising that people are not only our greatest asset, but our most powerful competitive advantage. As wage policies evolve, it remains essential that productivity, skills development, and business sustainability are part of the national conversation. Sustainable wages require sustainable businesses.

Challenges That Sharpened Our Focus

While 2025 brought notable wins, it also highlighted persistent challenges. Rising energy costs, insurance premiums, supply-chain pressures, and infrastructure constraints continued to erode BHTA NYD Message 2026

margins. Climate-related impacts served as a reminder of our vulnerability as a small island state and the urgent need for resilience planning and maintenance of critical infrastructure.

Yet, these challenges also reinforced the strength of collaboration within the sector. Time and again, tourism stakeholders adapted, shared solutions, and supported one another. This collective resilience is one of Barbados’ greatest strengths and must continue to be nurtured.

Looking Ahead to 2026

As we move into 2026, there is genuine reason for optimism, tempered with realism and responsibility. The year ahead presents opportunities to deepen market diversification, refine our brand positioning, and continue shifting the conversation from recovery to long-term competitiveness.

The BHTA’s focus in 2026 will remain clear: strong advocacy, meaningful engagement with Government and social partners, support for workforce development, and a continued push for policies that recognise tourism’s economic contribution while enabling businesses to thrive.

Sustainability must now move decisively from intent to action. Environmental stewardship, community engagement, and responsible development are no longer optional, they are expectations. Barbados is well-placed to lead in this space, but leadership must be demonstrated through measurable outcomes, not rhetoric.

A Call for Unity and Shared Purpose

Tourism does not operate in isolation. It touches agriculture, transport, culture, education, sport, and commerce. Its success depends on collaboration across sectors and a shared commitment to excellence. As we enter 2026, unity, trust, and open dialogue will be essential.

Let us approach this new year with confidence in our product, respect for our people, and a clear understanding of what is required to secure tourism’s future. Let us continue to champion Barbados not just as a destination, but as a place of opportunity, innovation, and pride.

On behalf of the Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association, I thank our members for their resilience and commitment, our partners for their collaboration, and the thousands of Barbadians whose daily efforts bring our tourism industry to life.

May 2026 be a year of progress, partnership, and prosperity for tourism and for Barbados. Warmest New Year wishes,
Javon Griffith
Chairman

Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association

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