Barbados has not been hit by a hurricane since 1955 and has not been affected by either of the recent mega-storms, Irma and Maria but it is still suffering from their impact. According to Petra Roach, director, USA for the Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc., confusion with the island of Barbuda, and general lack of knowledge about Caribbean geography, has had an impact on its tourism outlook. “We are totally empathetic with the victims of these storms and are very proud to be part of the Caribbean region,” Roach told TMR, “but travel agents should recognize that we are not in the hurricane belt.”