She most recently served as Chief Executive Officer of Caves of Barbados
In a series of steps that are said to be strategic steps to refresh, reposition, redirect & renew tourism promotion of the Caribbean island nation, Barbados, the Tourism Ministry has appointed a new chief executive of Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc (BTMI).
In a press statement, the Barbadian Tourism Ministry says that Andrea Franklin has been confirmed in the role following an “intense recruitment exercise”.
Franklin replaces Jens Thraenhart, who had served as BTMI’s CEO since 2021. She most recently served as Chief Executive Officer of Caves of Barbados, a division of Chukka Caribbean Adventures.
The statement adds that the appointments are part of the Ministry of Tourism and International Transport’s policy to “be responsive to the dynamic needs of the tourism sector by taking strategic steps to refresh, reposition, redirect and renew how BTMI does business.”
Ian Gooding-Edghill
“Andrea 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,” says Ian Gooding-Edghill, Minister of Tourism and International Transport of 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,” he adds.
Franklin began her tourism career in the 1990s as an Air Jamaica account executive and later worked at BTMI’s predecessor, the Barbados Tourism Authority, holding posts including manager, product Integration and senior business development manager in New York.
The statement adds that Director of BTMI in the United Kingdom, Cheryl Carter has been promoted to the newly-created role of Chief Operating Officer for the organisation.
Carter will manage the operational functions of the organisation and also be responsible for the leadership and performance of all external markets, having working in the tourism sector for 26 years. The statement adds that as interim head of global markets in the UK in 2019, Carter was able to achieve the highest arrivals for Barbados from its major source market.
