Within the coming weeks, the Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc (BTMI) will partner with Royal Caribbean to host a national job fair to identify workers for almost 2,000 jobs. It will be just in time for the upcoming winter season.
The date for the employment fair will be announced soon.
A range of jobs will be available across a number of disciplines from engineers to chefs, technicians, seamen, housekeepers and more. A full list of positions will be made available to the public ahead of the job fair.
Word of the jobs first came from Barbados Minister of Tourism and International Transport, Senator Lisa Cummins after she signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Royal Caribbean Group that will generate opportunities for high-quality employment in the local tourism industry. Cummins made the announcement during a recent press conference at Seatrade Cruise Global Conference in Miami, Florida.
The MOU establishes a partnership between the Government of Barbados and RCCL, where the two entities will work together to create cruise-related job opportunities for Barbadians.
The MOU comes as a result of a series of negotiations between Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc and RCCL, with the intent of building on the two entities’ longstanding partnership in a way that brings tangible benefits to all Barbadians.
“This MOU is timely as it feeds into Barbados’ greater purpose for tourism. Creating jobs for Barbadians in the tourism industry bodes well for the destination as we seek to take the country’s tourism industry forward in a sustainable way,” said Cummins.
“During COVID, we saw how greatly Barbadian jobs were impacted by the loss of tourism, and the resulting impact on individual lives and livelihoods. Royal Caribbean has been a valued partner for many years, and we are pleased to be able to build on that relationship to bring new opportunities for Barbadians to find employment,” she added.
Royal Caribbean will staff several ships home porting in the Caribbean including Grandeur of the Seas, Independence of the Seas and Mariner of the Seas.
“We would like to thank Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley for her vision and leadership as we work together with our partners in Barbados to create opportunities for economic empowerment for Barbadians.
“At Royal Caribbean, we understand how challenging it has been to rebound from the loss of tourism and there is no better way to address impacts to the Barbadian economy than finding mutually beneficial job fulfilment and job growth opportunities for Royal Caribbean and Barbadians,” said Royal Caribbean International President and CEO, Michael Bayley.
“The tourism industry has been significantly impacted by the pandemic and close collaboration and partnership with our destination partners is vital for us all to come back better than before. I am excited to join the Minister of Tourism and International Transport, Senator Lisa Cummins, to share our plans for job growth in Barbados,” he added.
Chair of the Board of Directors of the BTMI and BTPA, Shelly Williams noted that the partnership aligns with tourism’s mandate for creating opportunities for educating, retooling and upskilling for all Barbadians by 2030.
“This recruitment effort is open to all Barbadians and enables them to learn new skills, and transfer the knowledge they gain during this experience for the betterment of Barbados’ service industries overall,” Williams said.
