Sharon Banfield-Bovell has been passionately contributing to the development of Tourism and Human Resources in the Caribbean region for 25 years. She is a Tourism Professional – specializing in the areas of Tourism Planning, Tourism Policy Formulation, Human Resources Development, Tourism Product Development and Strategic Planning.
Professional Experience: Ms. Banfield-Bovell is currently the Director of Resource Mobilization and Development at the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) and prior to taking up that post, she served the organization in the capacity of Regional Human Resources Development Consultant. She is responsible for directing, overseeing and guiding the resource mobilization and human resources functions and activities of the CTO. She has also served as Deputy Director of Tourism at the Cayman Islands Department of Tourism and was primarily responsible for projects and programmes aimed at increasing and enhancing the product offering of the destination and improving the overall visitor experience, whilst supporting the organisation’s marketing strategies for the destination. Prior to joining the Department of Tourism, Ms. Banfield-Bovell held the position of Chief Tourism Development Officer in the Barbados Ministry of Tourism where she guided and co-ordinated the tourism product development functions of the Ministry, including development of standards for the tourism & hospitality industry, tourism human resources training, tourism policy development & implementation and tourism legislation development. Ms. Banfield-Bovell started her career in the education field and proudly served as a foreign language teacher in the secondary school system in Barbados.
Past Appointments: Over the years she has served on several Boards, Councils and Committees. She is currently aStanding Member of the CTO Scholarship Foundation Board of Directors. She previously served as acting Chair of the Cayman Islands Hotel Licensing Board and the Public Transport Board; member of the Caribbean Tourism Human Resource Council, the Caribbean Tourism Organization’s (CTO) Sustainable Tourism Technical Committee, the Cayman Islands National Tourism Management Policy Steering Committee, the Cayman Islands Tourism Attractions Board and the Tourism Apprenticeship Training Council. She also represented the government of Barbados on The Tourism and Hospitality Lead Body of the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Council, The Barbados Hotel & Tourism Safety & Security Committee and The Tourism Emergency Management Committee.
Academic Qualifications: Ms. Banfield Bovell holds a Master of Science degree in Tourism Planning & Development from the University of Surrey, United Kingdom and a Bachelor of Arts in Languages: French & Spanish from the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus, Barbados.
Regarded by her peers as a Barbadian with a true zeal for regional sustainable tourism development, Ms. Banfield-Bovell has lectured at the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus and the University College of the Cayman Islands in tourism and other management programmes, as well as presented at several local and regional industry conferences and events, hence contributing to the information sharing and knowledge generation processes required for true regional tourism sustainability. Ms. Banfield-Bovell is the proud mother of two girls, and has a passion for youth mentorship, teaching and training and global travel.
