Forget sports tourism, the Action Man wants Barbados to get in on destination tourism.
Former Olympic windsurfer and water sport icon Brian “The Action Man” Talma believes the country needs to be marketed as an ideal location for all surfing events to boost tourism during the off season and build communities like Silver Sands.
Talma expressed the sentiment yesterday ahead of this weekend’s Last Man Standing event and the upcoming Waterman Festival, which is set to feature at least one of the world’s top ten windsurfers.
“With sports tourism you just have an event for a week or so and people come just for that time but with this idea you have people coming year-round to Barbados regardless of the season because they know this is the destination for all things surfing,” explained Talma.
“There’s no event happening right now but the beach here in Silver Sands is packed and people are coming every day. And we don’t have to build anything because what we have is very natural as people will come here because of what we have.
“We just need to enrich it by providing the services on the beach so whatever community we are in benefits from the activity. From shops in the area giving food and drinks, to hotels providing accommodation, to vendors getting work, a whole community can benefit just like how this is done in Silver Sands,” he added.
It stands as Talma’s latest promotion of Barbados’ prospects in water sports, which has led to the creation of his Beach Culture World Tour.
Since the globe-trotting kite and windsurfer first introduced stand-up paddling to Barbados in 2005, Talma has been travelling the world endorsing the country as a destination for each surfing discipline.
“The beach culture is a blend of the fishing community and surfing society, and when you blend it you get something fresh, new and marketable,” reasoned Talma.
“That’s why I do the art, that’s why I do the music because it becomes identifiable to the island of Barbados. I strongly believe today that the beach culture can be the number one concept and way we go forward with sports.”
Talma is set to host the latest edition of the Last Man Standing this weekend at De Action Shop in Silver Sands before taking the Waterman Festival to Carlisle Bay later this month to coincide with the arrival of British water sport photographer Alex Williams.
