The board of Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc has confirmed chief executive Dr Jens Thraenhart, who joined the BTMI in October 2021, left the organisation in mid-July. A search for his successor is under way. Chief financial officer Craig Hinds will stand in as acting chief executive in the interim.

Shelly Williams, chair of the BTMI board of directors, said she wished to thank Thraenhart for his service, while adding: “We have reviewed the BTMI’s business and operations and strategy going forward and we have agreed the BTMI needs to go in a different direction to ensure the growth of Barbados tourism."

Williams said with tourism continuing to drive Barbados’s economy through employment and business generation, growth was vital. "Our focus is on making sure we deliver growth by looking at new and emerging markets, increasing airlift and cruise business, and all of the ways that will allow Barbadians to see the financial returns from tourism," added Williams.