Petra Roach

A driving force in the international tourism industry, Petra Roach brings a wealth of travel experience and expertise to the Caribbean landscape. The savvy tourism executive is known for her astute leadership in overseeing bespoke destination’s business development in various markets. Currently, Petra is the CEO of the Grenada Tourism Authority, and in this role she was awarded the 2023 Caribbean Tourism Director of the Year in the 10th edition of Caribbean Journal’s Caribbean Travel Awards.

Prior to her stint at the helm of Grenada’s Tourism Authority, she was the interim CEO of Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc. (BTMI). In her quarter-century career success for that role, she has also served in directorship roles in the U.S. for 4 years as well as Vice President for the U.K. for over a decade.

Petra’s success as a tourism practitioner is well-respected, having been the recipient of 3 high level awards in the U.K. - including the coveted British Travel Awards Personality of the year. Roach is also recognized as one of the ‘Top 60 Women Travel Executives In The Last 60 Years’ by the prestigious Association of Women Travel Executives. She was recognized at the 30th Annual Virtuoso Travel Week conference and named the 2018 Ambassador of the Year – the first individual from the Caribbean to receive this prestigious award.

Under her tutelage, Grenada has seen a record breaking number of visitors and the appetite for the touristic landscape has reached an all-time high. The destination market has seen consistent annual multi-market growth. Her previous leadership in Barbados has also had a seismic impact on the data there, with USA arrivals breaching the 200,000 mark – representing the highest visitation on record for that island. Since her appointment, Grenada has been rated a top three destination for travel recovery from the USA. The Spice Isle has also been featured in a number of award-winning publications for its tourism allure, including the New York Times, Lonely Planet, Forbes, Essence, The Independent and more. 

Petra Roach believes in the power of authenticity as a vehicle for tourism growth. Consequently, her thoughtful, astute approach to executive leadership in the tourism industry has now positioned Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique as an intimate, authentic, multi-focused, luxury destination that is now in the midst of a renaissance. Her synergistic efforts with various public and private stakeholders is a powerful testament to the need for innovation that is in stride with the ever-changing travel landscape in and beyond the Caribbean.