We’re sorry!
Government has apologized to the British couple shot in a daylight robbery a fortnight ago just outside of Bridgetown.
Minister of Tourism Richard Sealy yesterday revealed he had visited Phillip and Ann Prior at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH), and though they were disappointed at becoming victims of a violent crime, they remained in fine spirits and recovering from their frightening ordeal.
He was speaking at the first quarterly meeting of the Barbados Hotel & Tourism Association (BHTA)?for 2013 at the Accra Beach Hotel.
Sealy also promised that Barbados would never be soft on crime and would continue to find better ways to protect visitors.
“I want again, on behalf of the Government of Barbados, to apologize to them regarding the attack that took place,” he said.
“Barbados prides itself on safety and security and the highest priority has been placed on making sure that not only Barbadians are protected, but that our guests, through the implementation of more stringent measures, remain safe. We are determined to make sure we can rid ourselves of anything that even appears to be a spate of incidents in the sector. We can’t afford it.”
Sealy said the job of having to apologize to visitors was always a hard task.
“I’ve had to do it before and I truly hope I don’t ever have to do it again,” he told scores of hoteliers.
He also expressed Government’s concerns with the recent spate of assaults on tourists, noting that Prime Minister Freundel Stuart as well as Attorney General Adriel Brathwaite would continue to do everything in their power, through collaboration with the Royal Barbados Police, to keep visitors safe.
“We have to project that Barbados is still a very safe place to come. We recognize that we are no different than any [other] country regarding crime, but it is on us to play our part to continue to show we are a very safe place to visit.”
Sealy urged hotels to improve their safety and security. He added that Government, through public and private sector partnerships, would continue to improve lighting in the main tourism belts and also attempt to improve sidewalks and walkways where visitors could travel safely.
The Priors, who arrived here on a cruise ship, became robbery and gunshot victims on March 17 along Hincks Street as they were returning to the vessel.
Sealy also said it was unfortunate that the recent violence against visitors had brought about negative press in Britain, but that Barbados was still blessed with being considered a “very safe” destination.
The minister said it was pleasing to see two people had been charged with assaulting the visitors a few days after the incident, and that Commissioner of Police Darwin Dottin’s men would continue to put special efforts into apprehending culprits in such cases as quickly as possible, which would also let tourists have confidence in the performance of the island’s law enforcement.
Three days ago, Julian “Big Zeus” Hunte, 28, St Philip, and Marlon Gooding, 35, also of St Philip, appeared in the Oistins Magistrates’ Court to face charges surrounding the assault on the Priors.
They were remanded to Her Majesty’s Prison at Dodds, St Philip.
