Prior to the establishment of a formal Ministry of Tourism, the tourism portfolio was handled by the then Ministry of Civil Aviation. Subsequently in February 1985, under the BLP Administration when the late Right Honourable J.M.G.M "Tom" Adams was Prime Minister, the Ministry of Tourism and the Environment came in to being with Mr. Aaron Truss as Minister and Ms. Lolita Applewaite as Permanent Secretary. During this period, the Ministry was located at Culloden Farm, previously the official residence of the Prime Minister.
At the time, the Ministry held responsibility for the Barbados Board of Tourism (now the Barbados Tourism Authority); the Barbados Tourism Investment Corporation (now Barbados Tourism Investment, Inc.).
After general elections in June 1985, the Democratic Labour Party regained the Government under Prime Minister, the Right Excellent Errol Barrow and Mr. Branford Taitt was appointed as Minister of Tourism and Industry.The offices of the Ministry were then relocated to the 5th floor of the General Post Office Building at Cheapside, Bridgetown.
In 1987, with the change in Ministerial portfolios, the now Reverend Sir Wesley W. Hall, GCM, HBM, J.P. became the Minister of Tourism and Sports.The Tourism portfolio changed twice more before the next general elections were held; first it was the Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Culture with Mr. Evelyn Greaves GCM, as Minister.Later, the Information Affairs portfolio was included with the then Prime Minister the Right Honourable Sir Lloyd Erskine Sandiford becoming Minister of Tourism, while Mr. Carl Clarke was Minister of State in the Ministry of Tourism.
Following the September 6, 1994 general elections, the Barbados Labour Party reclaimed the reins of Government.At this time, Sir Richard Cheltenham Q.C., PhD.became the Minister of Tourism, International Transport and the Environment until his resignation in 1995 when the then Deputy Prime Minister, now Dame Billie Miller added Tourism to her portfolio. The title of the Ministry was changed to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Tourism and International Transport.
In January 1999, the Deputy Prime Minister relinquished the Tourism and International Transport portfolios to Mr. George Payne.Mr. Payne held this responsibility until 2001 when he was succeeded by Mr. Noel Lynch.
After the Barbados Labour Party lost the general elections in January 2008, the Honourable Richard L. Sealy, M.P. became the Minister of Tourism.The Ministry of Tourism presently has responsibility for the following agencies: