Sargassum seaweed has been inundating the region’s beaches, including in Barbados.

Small hotels warned on Monday that an “invasion” of Sargassum seaweed is suffocating their business, jeopardising their core repeat guest trade and casting doubt on future bookings. The chairman of the Intimate Hotels of Barbados (IHB), Shireene Mathlin-Tulloch, described the onslaught of Sargassum as “the biggest issue” currently facing the industry, especially on the south coast.