Barbados’ tourism sector is ramping up its investment in community development, education, and cross-sector economic integration, with a popular annual futsal fundraising tournament targeting a $50,000 donation goal for local schools this year. The details of the Adopt-A-School Futsal Tournament and other key tourism-linked initiatives were outlined by Ryan Forde, Chief Executive Officer of the Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association (BHTA), during the organization’s quarterly press briefing held Wednesday.
The futsal tournament and the Barbados National Culinary Programme both operate under the umbrella of the BHTA-managed Tourism Fund, a dedicated mechanism designed to leverage tourism revenue for social investment and youth engagement. For its 2025 second iteration, running from August 8 to 30, organizers have set an ambitious fundraising target of more than $50,000, a significant jump from the just over $30,000 raised during the tournament’s debut year. In its first run, the initiative delivered tangible improvements to educational institutions across the country: it supplied football nets for more than 30 primary schools, installed water tanks at two campus locations, distributed 45 cooling fans for both primary and secondary schools, and provided multiple projectors to academic institutions. Forde extended an open invitation to domestic and international businesses, noting that companies can join as competing teams, official sponsors, or both.
Beyond youth sports and education, Forde emphasized that the national culinary programme remains a core priority for cementing Barbados’ reputation as a global food tourism leader. Widely recognized as the culinary capital of the Caribbean, the island boasts a diverse range of dining experiences and a world-class cohort of chefs and bartenders that have positioned it as a regional standout in the culinary tourism segment. To nurture emerging local talent, BHTA recently launched a combined on-the-ground and social media outreach campaign to drive participation in the BHTA Local Culinary Competition, scheduled to take place on June 16 and 17.
A key cross-sector initiative housed under the Tourism Fund is the Bajan Harvest Hub, a digitally powered platform designed to close the supply chain gap between local small-scale farmers and the island’s tourism sector. Forde described the centralized platform as a transformative development for Barbados’ economy, solving longstanding information gaps around supply, demand and sectoral interconnectivity. The hub creates inclusive economic opportunities for smallholder farmers and local agribusinesses, while also supporting the Tourism Fund’s broader goal of increasing the volume of local produce used by hotels, restaurants and other tourism operators, and strengthening critical economic linkages between agriculture and tourism.
In addition to updating stakeholders on ongoing community projects, Forde shared a series of major international wins for Barbados’ tourism sector during the briefing. First, the BHTA confirmed that the 2026 Gallagher BTMI BHTA Tourism Awards will be hosted on June 13 at the Wyndham Grand Barbados Sam Lord’s Castle. Second, Team Barbados took home the 2026 Best in Show – International award following its participation in the Travel & Adventure Show held in Florida, an event that drew more than 125,000 travel industry professionals from across the globe. The award recognizes the destination’s compelling brand presentation and strong market appeal, and Forde extended congratulations to the BTMI USA team led by Seymour Bailey, along with local lead Kemuel Burke and all participating BHTA members for the achievement.
Most notably, Barbados has secured the hosting rights for the 45th Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) Marketplace, scheduled to take place in May 2027. The deal was finalized during recent regional discussions held in Antigua. The high-profile industry event is projected to bring hundreds of global travel professionals to the island, boost local economic activity, and deepen collaborative regional tourism partnerships.