Colin Jordan, president of the Barbados Hotel & Tourism Association (BHTA), is proposing that Government offer tax concessions for Barbadians who take advantage of the Staycation programme.
Addressing the BHTA’s annual general meeting recently, Jordan said Staycation was a well-established, branded programme that needed further support.
He also said it was an initiative that allowed Barbadians to vacation right here at the island’s wide range of hotels, and BHTA executive vice-president Sue Springer reported that there had been over $1 million in Staycation bookings the last time the programme was offered.
“We want to suggest to Government that a tax credit be given for households who spend on Staycations,” Jordan told hoteliers and other tourism operators during the meeting at Hilton Barbados, where he reported on his first term as president.
He thought the benefits from such a measure would be threefold: keeping critical foreign exchange in the island, maintaining employment both in and outside the tourism sector, and affording more Barbadians the opportunity to experience tourism and better understand the industry.
The BHTA?president also called for more research and in-depth analysis of Barbados’ tourism sector to determine the total impact of the industry on the economy.
“It is clear that more research and analysis need to be done in the area of arrivals, average length of stay, actual visitor spend as well as spending trends, trends in transport [and] trends in accommodation types being used,”?Jordan said.
