Barbados Tourism Marketing Slammed For Paying For Hundreds Of Thousands For Recycled Tagline

By NAN Staff Writer

News Americas, BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, Tues. May 25, 2021: The Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc. (BTMI) has been slammed by many nationals on social media for spending hundreds of thousand to relaunch their tourism campaign with what many say is a “recycled” tagline.

The BTMI reportedly paid US $375,000 (BDS$750,000) to an agency who came up with the tagline “Little Island, Big Barbados.” That tagline has been previously used by at least six international jurisdictions also looking to market their tourism products to the world.

President of the Democratic Labour Party (DLP), Verla de Peiza, also weighed in on the social media dragging, saying she feels Barbadian taxpayers should get their money back after the job done by the Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc. (BTMI) in relaunching the island’s tourism product.

The DLP leader said using a tag line that other destinations are working to the bone is a misstep, and cited Bermuda, Taiwan, New Jersey, Bequia, Slovakia, Malta, Jamaica and Micronesia as countries which had worn the theme thin.

Minister of Tourism and International Transport, Senator Lisa Cummins, has defended the marketing tagline but BTMI Chairman Roseanne Myers says there will be an “internal investigation” into the non-original marketing initiative.