Four daring daylight robberies of visitors in the space of a week have the chief of two popular hotels at his wits’ end.
And the leading hotelier has had enough.
He wants to see authorities take a fresh look at the cash-for-gold enterprise, a phenomenon he believes is the biggest threat to Barbados’ already struggling tourism industry.
Requesting anonymity, the chairman and managing director of the two South Coast hotels said he had already written the president of the Barbados Hotel & Tourism Association (BHTA) about it, but planned to raise it again at the next monthly meeting.
He revealed that on one day last week two guests were robbed of their gold jewellery at 11 a.m., and a couple days later innocent tourists using the popular Richard Haynes Boardwalk in Hastings, Christ Church, were also relieved of their precious metals.
“I’m convinced this type of action is to do with the cash-for-gold business. I’m hoping the police can come up with a plan to scan the businesses which operate, and determine just how legitimate they are,” the peeved hotelier told the DAILY NATION yesterday.
