{"id":50851,"date":"2022-01-06T09:57:06","date_gmt":"2022-01-06T08:57:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/travindy.com\/?p=50851"},"modified":"2022-01-22T14:20:57","modified_gmt":"2022-01-22T13:20:57","slug":"barbados-builds-its-own-online-travel-booking-platform-to-be-a-game-changer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/travindy.com\/news\/2022\/01\/barbados-builds-its-own-online-travel-booking-platform-to-be-a-game-changer\/","title":{"rendered":"Barbados builds its own online travel booking platform to be a game changer"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Barbados<\/p>\n

W<\/span>hen the pandemic hit, the hospitality and tourism industry in the Caribbean wasn\u2019t just hurt by the absence of visitors. It was faced with a larger conundrum: delayed payments from major international tour operators<\/a>, such as TUI and Virgin Holidays, for services rendered in the first three months of 2020. By May 2020, 69 percent of hotels had reported being owed from $200,000 up to $15 million, according to the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association.<\/p>\n

Two years on, a solution has emerged out of Barbados that could point to a groundbreaking model for the rest of the Caribbean region. Launched at the close of 2021,\u00a0BookBarbados.com<\/a>, a Barbadian-owned and independently funded and operated online travel booking platform, allows users to buy hotel stays ranging from luxury to budget, local tours, Airbnb rentals, and long term stays all in one place. The site also taps into local influencer recommendations for a more authentic version of the island.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s what Barbados and much of the region had been missing until now: an e-commerce and travel marketing platform that will place more of consumer\u2019s vacation booking funds directly into local businesses\u2019 hands, and a way to stand out with a homegrown depiction of Barbados that goes beyond the sun and sand narrative.<\/p>\n

\u201cI mentioned it to previous government officials with little or no success on trying to basically control our destiny as opposed to leave it in the hands of the big online travel agencies internationally who sort of market multiple destinations and not just one country,\u201d said Peter Harris, founder of\u00a0Book Barbados<\/a>\u00a0and a self-professed serial Barbadian entrepreneur who has run businesses in insurance, media, tourism and now real estate. Harris did not reveal what it cost to launch the startup.<\/p>\n

This is an excerpt from an article by Lebawit Lily Girma, originally published by Skift.<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This is what action looks like if Caribbean tourism is to build back better. Investment in technology, a solid private-public relationship, and homegrown talent driving the framework and the narrative. This new marketing platform should place more of consumer\u2019s vacation booking funds directly into local businesses\u2019 hands.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":50852,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[266,16,287,534,676,262],"tags":[3719],"yoast_head":"\nBarbados builds its own online travel booking platform to be a game changer<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"This is what action looks like if Caribbean tourism is to build back better. Investment in technology, a solid private-public relationship, and homegrown talent driving the framework and the narrative. 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