Barbados Launches Tourism Call Centre for Visitors

The new call centre gives visitors a direct line for all tourism-related queries

As the travel and tourism industry continues to rebound in a meaningful way, Barbados has launched an innovative tool to put the human voice back in tourism, and stay connected to its visitors.

The Barbados Tourism Call Centre began as a pilot project in the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, giving visitors a direct line for assistance with travel protocols, test queries and other tourism-related matters. Now, the Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc. (BTMI) has confirmed that it has evolved into one of the organization’s most valuable tools, as a comprehensive hub for all tourism queries.

Chairman of the Board of Directors of the BTMI, Roseanne Myers, explained the development at the recently concluded World Travel Market in London, “We recognize that travel in the COVID-19 era has become challenging, and as the leading tourism agency we have to do more to interact with our visitors to facilitate inbound and outbound travel. The Tourism Call Centre is open 24/7 and has now become part of the way we do business. Each time the phone rings, a human voice answers and seeks to respond to those matters raised or direct callers towards a solution.”

By dialling a toll-free number, visitors on island or in their home markets with access to a phone can speak with one of Barbados’ tourism operators, who can provide callers with the detailed information they need to enjoy a memorable holiday in Barbados. For those without access to a phone, the Barbados Tourism Call Centre can also be reached via the www.visitbarbados.org website, which now carries a webchat feature also facilitated by the tourism operators.

Since the pilot phase of the project commenced in January this year, Call Centre operators have handled more than 2,500 calls and 7,500 webchats from around the world, and currently average about 100 calls and 300 webchats a week.

“The simple act of being able to pick up the phone and get immediate answers brings comfort to travellers at a time when everything in the world feels so uncertain. We see this Call Centre as another tool in our hospitality arsenal that proves why, of all the destinations, Barbados remains known and loved for its warmth and inviting people,” Myers said.

Contact the Barbados Tourism Call Centre from the United Kingdom on 08000163098.
ENDS
For more information please contact Ali Finnegan ali@travelmedia.ie.
About Barbados
The island of Barbados offers a unique Caribbean experience steeped in rich history and colourful culture and rooted in remarkable landscapes. Barbados is the home of two of the three remaining Jacobean Mansions left in the Western hemisphere, as well as fully functional rum distilleries. In fact, this island is known as the birthplace of rum, commercially producing and bottling the spirit since the 1700s. Each year, Barbados hosts several world-class events including the annual Barbados Food and Rum Festival; the annual Barbados Reggae Festival; and the annual Crop Over Festival, where celebrities such as Lewis Hamilton and its very own Rihanna are often spotted.
Accommodations are wide and varied, ranging from picturesque plantation houses and villas to quaint bed and breakfast gems; prestigious international chains; and award-winning five-diamond resorts. In 2018, Barbados’ accommodation sector captured 13 awards in the Top Hotels Overall, Luxury, All-Inclusive, Small, Best Service, Bargain, and Romance categories of the ‘Traveler’s Choice Awards’.
Getting to paradise is a breeze: the Grantley Adams International Airport offers plenty of non-stop and direct services from a growing number of U.S., U.K., Canadian, Caribbean, European, and Latin American gateways, making Barbados the true gateway to the Eastern Caribbean. Visit Barbados and experience why for two years in a row it won the prestigious Star Winter Sun Destination Award at the ‘Travel Bulletin Star Awards’ in 2017 and 2018.
For more information on travel to Barbados, visit www.visitbarbados.org, follow on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/VisitBarbados, and via Twitter @Barbados.