The Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association (BHTA) has appointed Greg Broomes as its Operations Manager.
Broomes, who will be responsible for overseeing the organization’s operational effectiveness and strategic initiatives, will also manage the human resources, finance, ICT and property management functions of the Association.
With over 11 years of experience across several sectors including international development, finance and audit, the Fellow Chartered and Certified Accountant and Project Management Professional explained that the strategic growth and sustainability of the BHTA and the broader tourism sector will be his main focus.
He said, “To achieve this I will concentrate on streamlining processes, optimizing resource allocation and ensuring the team is equipped to consistently deliver high-quality services to members and represent their interests with key stakeholders. Another priority will be to develop initiatives aimed at engaging and empowering youth within the tourism industry – by promoting career opportunities and offering educational programmes we aim to cultivate a pipeline of future industry leaders, not only within the industry, but as a part of the Association.
“I also envision expanding our Secretariat’s role as a data hub for firm-level data critical to advancing the sector. Building on our existing data collection efforts in areas such as disaster preparedness and occupancy trends, we will leverage this information for insightful research and informed decision-making.”
In his new role, Broomes, who holds a MBA in Financial Management from the London School of Business and Finance, will also serve as a key liaison with stakeholders; oversee the seamless implementation of events, initiatives and projects that benefit BHTA members and the industry as a whole, and also deputize for the CEO as needed, ensuring continuity in operations and strategic leadership.
“I am dedicated to advocating for the continual evolution of tourism products and experiences that showcase the unique offerings of Barbados. This will include supporting initiatives that enhance the business capacities and resilience of our membership, particularly in the face of the impacts of climate change.
“By fostering innovation and sustainability practices within our membership, while advocating for improvements in the legislative and policy environment that impact the membership’s ability to operate, we can ensure our members thrive while contributing to the overall economic prosperity of our country,” he noted.
CEO of the BHTA, Ryan Forde, in welcoming Broomes to the Association stated, “Greg was selected for all of the reasons that he mentioned but for so much more. There is a need for re-establishing a structure of operating procedures that stretch beyond the secretariat, but how the BHTA and its members operate in unison alongside the rest of the private and public sector, as the tourism industry is more important than just one entity.
“We will leverage and use his knowledge, skill set and experience as we aim to form stronger partnerships and activate stronger advocacy on behalf of our members and the industry from a data analysis and presentation perspective. His youthfulness yet level of expertise is a plus and it helps shore up a lot of the much-needed changes at the BHTA. We welcome Greg with open arms.” (PR)
