The same effort that is put into the promotion of the winter season and getting visitors to come to Barbados during the winter months should be put into promoting the summer season.
If you are looking at the United States, I know a lot of Barbadians come down for Crop Over but I think we need more packages that would entice these people to come to the country during the summer months because the rates are cheaper than in the winter.
Apart from the rates, it is quieter, so I really feel that a lot more effort has to be put into it.
We hear a lot about how we want to have year-round tourism but what you see out there is the country being heavily promoted for the winter months – December to April. I figure that is because you get the most revenue during those months because hotel rates are higher. After that, the rates start to taper off.
You also find that some hotels close during the summer months either to refurbish or because they feel it is not profitable to operate during the summer.
I think we should also look seriously at the Staycation programme.
As long as it looks attractive, I feel we can encourage more local people to spend their vacation at home.
I know that it may be a hard nut to crack but we have to look at all avenues and surely that would be one.
The average Barbadian would come to a hotel and staycation for a weekend or so.
Occasionally you would find somebody would spend more than the weekend, but I feel we should encourage people to come and spend a week or so.
You don’t have to pay any airfare, you can eat in the hotel if you want to or if you want to go out, you can.
The idea is to get people into the habit of patronizing the hotels.
If people can spend thousands of dollars and come here, I feel that Barbadians should be able to enjoy some of what the hotels have to offer and I don’t see it happening that way.
I get the impression that visitors do not have the amount of money to spend that they once did.
They may put down some money to come to Barbados on vacation but they have a fixed budget of how much money they are going to spend.
We also seriously have to look at attractions.  Â
There’s nothing here for children to do except go to the beach.
Harrison’s Cave is our major attraction, so whenever a cruise ship is in Port, it is impossible to get in because there are very limited attractions in Barbados and something needs to be done about that.
• Philip Bostic is president of the Council of Hotel and Resteraunt Workers of the Barbados Workers’ Union.
