Almost 2,000 jobs will be up for grabs for Barbadians very soon. The announcement was made on Monday by Minister of Tourism and International Transport, Senator the Hon. Lisa Cummins, during a recent press conference at Seatrade Cruise Global Conference in Miami, Florida.

While at the cruise conference, Minister Cummins signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Royal Caribbean Group that will generate opportunities for high-quality employment in the local tourism industry. The MOU, signed Monday, April 25, 2022, 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.

Speaking about the partnership, Minister Cummins noted that “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.”

“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,” Cummins said.

Royal Caribbean will staff several ships homeporting in the Caribbean including Grandeur of the Seas, Independence of the Seas and Mariner of the Seas.

Royal Caribbean International President and CEO, Michael Bayley, commented on the cruise line’s positive relationship with Barbados, noting “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.

“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 fulfillment and job growth opportunities for Royal Caribbean and Barbadians,” he said.

“The tourism industry has been significantly impacted by the pandemic and close collaboration and partnership with our destination partners are 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,” Bayley added.

National job fair

Within the coming weeks, the Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc. (BTMI) will partner with Royal Caribbean to host a national job fair to begin the recruitment process in time for the upcoming winter season. All interested persons should keep an eye out for an official press release that will announce the upcoming date of this event.

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.

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.