Following on the heels of the strong start of the 2015 winter season, the Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc. and the Barbados Hotel & Tourism Association have launched ‘Brilliant Barbados’, a promotion aimed at increasing forward bookings for the softer summer and fall periods.
The new Brilliant Barbados campaign is a value-packed travel deal featuring discounts on hotel stays, attractions, car rental agencies and restaurants across Barbados. With the tagline, ‘More Excitement, More Value’, the promotion seeks to position Barbados’ as a fun destination for families, couples and individuals with a packed year-round calendar of events.
“We see public/ private sector programmes such as this as key to the way forward. If we are to reduce seasonality, increase our foreign exchange receipts and maximize the return on marketing investment from our limited budgets, all tourism stakeholders must work together in new and creative ways.” Asserted BTMI CEO, William Griffith.
Griffith also confirmed that, in keeping with the BTMI’s new digital marketing focus, an aggressive online campaign has been mounted to drive awareness of the new offer among targeted groups of prospective travellers. This online strategy incorporates search engine marketing, social media advertising, email marketing and a dedicated website at www.BrilliantBarbados.com. This is in addition to partnerships with global tour operators, travel agents and airline partners, as well as the international media.
More than 30 participating hotels and a number of local attractions have signed on to the initiative to offer a range of discounts to visitors.
BHTA’s CEO, Sue Springer, in her endorsement of the collaborative initiative noted that over the years the BHTA has collaborated with the public sector to promote similar programmes.
“Our membership, and by extension the entire island, has definitely seen the benefits of such programmes, especially during our slow season. We have to keep the momentum going and keep our sector striving all year. This is the goal of our Association and our membership is fully behind the Brilliant Barbados programme or any other project with this aim.
“We recognize that the travel industry is constantly changing and, in order to continue to attract repeat and new visitors to the island to sustain our sector, we must keep abreast of these trends in our efforts to continue to position the island strategically by offering the right packages and programmes, like Brilliant Barbados, to maintain our competitive advantage.
All bookings must be made between the period March 23 – April 30 to be valid, while travel must be completed between May 9 and December 19, 2015. The offer will guarantee the first night free on a four-night stay for visitors from the US, Canada and the Caribbean and the first two nights free on a seven-night stay for visitors from the UK and Europe.
Each visitor will receive a discount voucher, which they will be required to show at participating locations. The package also includes discounts through the Re-Discover dining programme.
