After an intensive global search, the Board of Directors of the Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc. has confirmed the appointment of Jens Thraenhart, as Chief Executive Officer of the island’s destination marketing agency, effective November 1st.
Thraenhart, a tourism veteran of 26 years, emerged as the top candidate from an initial pool of 178 candidates of qualified professionals from around the world. The list included 20 applications from Barbados and 27 from the wider Caribbean region.
This announcement will usher in a new era for the organization, one that will see the BTMI transition to a more commercial marketing enterprise which is reshaping its operations to better compete in the new pandemic era of global tourism.
Thraenhart is experienced in global tourism strategy and execution, and leadership experience from North America to Asia, having worked for the Canadian Tourism Commission (now Destination Canada) and Fairmont Hotels & Resorts (now part of Accor), and most recently as Executive Director of the Mekong Tourism Coordinating Office, appointed by the six member governments in Southeast Asia for four consecutive 2-year terms. During his almost eight years in office, he created various award-winning campaigns and initiatives, and created the private-sector tourism board Destination Mekong to foster public-private partnership collaboration.
He is conversational in three languages, including English, French, and German as well as basic Spanish, Thai, and Mandarin.
Thraenhart brings a depth of experience executing innovative technology solutions in tourism marketing. An expert in China Outbound Tourism, he co-founded award-winning travel technology agency Dragon Trail, authored the China Travel Trends books in 2010 and 2012, and chaired the China Chapter of the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), while living in Beijing for five years.
He is the 2nd Vice Chair of the Affiliate Members Board of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and has served on industry boards including the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association (HSMAI), and the International Federation of IT and Travel & Tourism (IFITT), bringing key stakeholder relationships in key target markets for Barbados tourism.
Thraenhart has been recognized as one of the Top 25 Most Extraordinary Minds in Travel and Hospitality three times, was recognized by Travel Agent Magazine as one of the Top Rising Stars in Travel, and was added to the Hall of Global Tourism Heroes in 2021. An MBA graduate of Cornell University, he is currently completing his doctorate thesis with a focus on ‘strengthening tourism integration resilience via stakeholder collaboration’ at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University.