The Tribune

JACKSON Weech, the president of the Bahamas Hotel and Tourism Association and a veteran hotel executive, has been appointed Director General of Tourism, replacing Latia Duncombe after more than four years at the ministry’s helm.

The appointment takes effect on October 1, according to the Ministry of Tourism, which announced the leadership change over the weekend.

The ministry said Mr Weech brings more than 35 years of experience in the tourism and hospitality industry in The Bahamas, the Caribbean and the United Kingdom and most recently served as vice president and general manager of The Royal Towers at Atlantis Paradise Island.

He has also led the BHTA since December 2024, when he succeeded Robert “Sandy” Sands as president of the organisation.

Tourism Minister Glenys Hanna Martin said Mr Weech’s experience working across the sector would strengthen the ministry as it seeks to build on tourism growth.

“Jackson Weech brings to the Ministry a depth of tourism industry experience,” Mrs Hanna Martin said, “that will be invaluable as we continue to strengthen the sector and ensure that tourism delivers meaningful economic opportunities for Bahamians.”

She said his experience ranged from the people who deliver the visitor experience to businesses and other tourism stakeholders.

Mr Weech’s career has included hotel operations, sales and marketing, strategic planning, financial management, labour relations and tourism industry advocacy.

Before becoming general manager of The Royal Towers, he served as vice president of hotel operations at Atlantis Paradise Island.

He previously worked as hotel manager at Sandals Royal Bahamian and Sandals Negril and spent 15 years as general manager of SuperClubs Breezes Bahamas while also working across several of the company’s properties in Jamaica.

Earlier in his career, Mr Weech worked in human resources and labour relations, including as assistant executive director of the Bahamas Hotel Employers’ Association, where he represented member hotels in mediation and arbitration and advised on industrial agreements.

Mr Weech said he was honoured to take over the ministry’s technical leadership.

“I have spent my career in this industry,” he said, “and have had the privilege of working alongside many of the people and organisations that make Bahamian tourism successful.”

He said he looked forward to working with Mrs Hanna Martin, ministry officials and industry partners on the continued development of tourism.

Mr Weech holds a Higher National Diploma in Hotel Management from Shannon College of Hotel Management in Ireland and a Diploma in Hotel Management from the Bahamas Hotel Training College. He also completed Cornell University’s Executive Development Program.

He replaces Mrs Duncombe, who became acting Director General in January 2022 after joining the ministry as deputy director general in 2021. She was formally appointed Director General on January 16, 2023, becoming the seventh person and third woman to serve as the ministry’s technical head.

Mrs Hanna Martin thanked Mrs Duncombe for her service, pointing to three consecutive record years for visitor arrivals and the ministry’s “A Lifetime of Islands” campaign during her tenure.

The ministry said The Bahamas recorded 12.5 million visitors in 2025.

“She was only the third woman to serve as technical head of this Ministry,” Mrs Hanna Martin said, “and she served with purpose.”

Mrs Hanna Martin said Mrs Duncombe’s “impact is woven into the fabric of Bahamian tourism” and wished her well in her future endeavours.