Tourism is the business of all Barbadians. Without it this country’s universally admired growth, development and stability would have been severely retarded and poverty widespread.
Highlighting its importance, Tourism Week ended yesterday when the new tourism “high season” started. All Barbadians, led by the Central Bank Governor as is his wont every time he delivers his national quarterly report, are hoping for improved numbers of arrivals.
Barbados has a well earned reputation as being at the top end of the international winter market. It is particularly popular with well heeled British who have christened it “Newmarket by the sea” because of its popularity with the hierarchy of the English and Irish horse racing fraternity.
It is known not to be an inexpensive destination but has several appealing attributes besides the ubiquitous sun, sea and sand which help to compromise the punitive British government’s air passenger duty (APD) which makes it more expensive to fly from London to the Caribbean than Hawaii. What a blow to Commonwealth brotherhood.
The impact on the average tourist as well as family and friends looking to return on holiday is devastating and no amount of protests, even at the highest level of Government, has succeeded in getting the British government to remove the inequitably imposed tax. Indeed, it will be increased again early next year.
Britain is Barbados’ most productive tourism market. However, in the last year there has been a crippling 18 per cent fall off in arrivals from that destination. There can be no doubt that much of that resulted from the APD.
But there are other problems. Intended to illustrate just how high prices are in Barbados, in the November 18 edition of a London Sunday Times special insert captioned Luxury Holidays, I came across the following:
“No island does bling better than Barbados. ‘Platinum Mile’ on its West Coast is named not after the colour of the Amex card you need to pay bills: an eight-ounce steak can set you back 240 pounds.” At the current exchange rate that equates to BDS$768.
I seldom eat at any of our leading restaurants and have never been exposed to costs of that type for anything I have ever eaten anywhere in Barbados. That money could buy two proper calves. I have the greatest difficulty wrapping my brain around paying that type of money for anything to eat anywhere in the world.
An infrequent visitor to the West Coast and its eating houses, I have eaten only once in a posh restaurant there in recent times with two siblings. The splendid meal for five people was quite reasonable and came nowhere near the figure quoted in the Sunday Times for a single steak.
It is unlikely that readers would question the figure quoted, bearing in mind the paper’s standing and Barbados’ reputation for high prices. At the end of the day, this country’s tourism would have suffered another blow. Having checked around, I failed to locate anywhere across the entire country charging that type of money for a single steak.
Any readers who can substantiate the Sunday Times report should feel free to contact me on my email or telephone me any time. My misgivings about the accuracy of the report run deep and should concern all Barbadians and I would happily apologize if anyone can confirm that they are misplaced. Confidentiality is guaranteed.
When in London I would have asked the paper for further and better particulars, as I once did when one of the quality newspapers’ reporters stretched the truth. I wrote to the editor in strong terms asking for my response to be published in the letters column. I got an immediate reply asking for a less severe submission which was published.
Even given the fact that the West Coast is the chosen location for permanent settlers from the north, repeat visitors and winter home to relocated expatriates, I suspect that even the wealthiest of them would not shell out that type of money for one eight-ounce steak without the most vociferous protest in Barbados and their country of origin.
It is important that when foreign or domestic media houses publish reports which are inaccurate, especially when they reflect negatively on our major revenue earner, the publisher of the information is confronted and pressed for confirmation or correction of their information.
During my sojourn in London, once I became aware of inaccuracies I was never slow to approach any medium misrepresenting Barbados or a Barbadian national, no matter who or what they were. The British Press was polite, respectful of diplomatic status, courteous, cooperative and willing to admit when they were wrong and correct it.
This matter needs to be pursued and, if unproven, the necessary correction made. Tourism is our lifeblood and is too important to be disparaged.
• Peter Simmons, a social scientist, is a former diplomat.
