Experiencing rough seas aptly describes the state of business at this time for glass bottom boat operator Mark Jackman. He is therefore hoping for a turnaround in the tourist industry – not only for his sake but for the sake of Barbados.
Jackman, who lives in Trent’s Tenantry, St James, has been a glass bottom boat operator for the past 15 years, operating from Holetown Beach.
He said he started in the water sports business working for someone for many years before venturing out on his own.
He bought a new boat four years ago, one with a shower and a few other facilities that the standard boat does not have.
His operation offers two-hour trips, during which patrons can visit one of the shipwrecks off the coast of the island, swim with the turtles at Payne’s Bay or Alleyne’s Bay near Mount Standfast, or do a bit of fishing.
Additionally, they get to enjoy the remaining coral reefs and see thousands of fish and the colourful fire coral, finger coral and brain coral.
However, Jackman said business had dropped off a lot.
“Before I used to carry out loads of people but if I get five people on the boat [a day] I get nuff people.
“Basically, a lot of people are not coming to the island because the tourists have experienced that the island is too expensive now, so they are going to St Lucia and Antigua, which is much cheaper for them,” Jackman said.
He said he enjoys his line of work and is concerned that if nothing is done to draw tourists back to the island, the situation in the island will worsen since the economy relies heavily on tourists spending. Jackman said that just over three years ago he noticed a fall-off in tourists and there has been a steady decline.
“This year it has gotten slower and slower. If not for the locals, we would not be anywhere,” Jackman said while noting that he had restructured his product to suit the local market. This means he has set his price to attract a wide range of people, particularly Barbadians who seldom get to enjoy the beauty of the island.
He has relied on his friends and word of mouth to attract customers, he said, but may need to dig deeper into his pockets to fund advertising or marketing to get the word out. He said he would stick it out for the remainder of the year before exploring other options.
Next year would determine his next step, he said, adding that he had contemplated moving to Canada but that would lead him down a completely different avenue – the culinary industry. He said though he was not a professional chef he knew his way around the kitchen.
“I have an idea of what is going on in the kitchen; so I try my hand at it, plus if you do not look for other things to do you would not survive out here,” Jackman said.
He said he had several relatives who operate food businesses and he “bunny hops”, lending a hand in the kitchen.
Nonetheless, Jackman is hopeful the redevelopment project in Holetown will bring a tide of change after its completion. He said the work, which has been going on for almost three months, has put a damper on business.
“This is what really killing us too because the people are not coming to the beach. The people are checking into the hotels and then they are moving out of the hotels and going to hotels on the South Coast.
“They are leaving because people are not coming to the island to hear any noise; they want to get rest and relax [and have] access to the beach.”
He said he hoped that after its completion the boardwalk would see a level of patronage similar to that of the Sir Richard Haynes Boardwalk in the south.
“The South Coast has benefited from theirs; so we have to wait and see how it will help us.”
