The Barbados Tourism Authority (BTA) is better placed than the National Cultural Foundation (NCF) to market the Crop Over festival overseas, says Government Senator Peter Gilkes.
And today during debate on the Appropriation Bill 2011 he told the Upper House that this was the direction Government would be taking in the future. He explained that with all the responsibilities which the NCF had, it made no sense burdening that agency with marketing the country’s premier festival, when the BTA had greater facility for the job. He said a Memorandum of Understanding had been signed with the BTA to this end.
Gilkes said Government was committed to bringing the best possible festival, and to do so free of controversy. He said this would be achieved with the assistance of increased private sector funding.
Gilkes indicated that Government had discontinued its “Follow Me To Barbados” tourism initiative as reports indicated it was not “delivering well”.
But he added tourism figures were looking positive.
