HARASSMENT OF VISITORS from drug pushers, prostitutes and vendors is threatening the local tourism industry, says Barbados Hotel & Tourism Association (BHTA) president Patricia Affonso-Dass.
She has therefore suggested that an eight-year-old proposal to train hotel security as Island Constables (ICs), be dusted off and put into motion to give security guards more power to clamp down on the illegal activity.
Affonso-Dass told the WEEKEND NATION the situation does not augur well for Barbadians or the island’s main foreign exchange earning sector.
“The consequence to the visitor is secondary to the consequence to our people if we let it get out of hand because it will ultimately mean personal security and job losses,” said Affonso-Dass, group general manager of Ocean Hotels which include South Beach, Sea Breeze Beach Resort and Ocean Two.
