Longtime Barbados tourism executive Petra Griffith Roach will join the Grenada Tourism Authority (GTA) as chief executive officer later this year. Roach, a Barbados native, becomes the third non-Grenadian and second Bajan to head the seven-year-old Grenada authority, according to local press reports.Following a 26-year tenure at Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc., Roach has resigned from the agency, saying it was “time to move on,” according to a Nation News Barbados report, which added that Roach’s final day at BTMI will be June 30.Roach is a celebrated Caribbean marketer whose BTMI initiatives included a focus on sports tourism designed to court active, discerning, high-value travelers to visit Barbados. The nation offers sports-themed attractions ranging from equestrian events to auto racing, leading BTMI to forge partnerships with the Brooklyn Nets National Basketball Association (NBA) team and Greenwich Polo Club.GTA officials declined to comment on the report Thursday. GTA’s current CEO, Patricia Maher, joined the agency in 2016. Let's block ads! (Why?)