Two stories reported in the media last week, although with unfortunate origins, give us comfort that Barbados has something special which attracts visitors to our shores. This augurs well for our tourism industry.
The fact that two British visitors were shot while on shore from a cruise ship, immediately said they would visit Barbados again and are in fact here, and an American visitor who had only visited Barbados for a few hours would request that his ashes be scattered at Accra Beach because he had fallen âso in love with the islandâ, are testimony to this. One wonders why these stories were not âfront pageâ news rather than the finding of marijuana plants and the removal of the fuel subsidy.
However, this âmarriageâ between Barbados and its visitors has to be nurtured, just like a marriage between husband and wife, and not left unattended. As Iâve said before, we mustnât treat visitors like ATMs, only interested in their money. We must give them the best experience possible while they are our guests.
We must also cater to all types of tourist. We keep hearing about concentrating on the âhigh-end marketâ. Since weâre hardly likely to ask for visitorsâ bank statements in advance, how does one define this market? Is it based on whether you are a âSirâ or a âLadyâ, âDuchessâ or film star, or perhaps where you have booked to stay? The recent incident at Sandy Lane Estate should teach us a lesson in this respect â that things are not always what they seem to be. In fact, Iâve often heard that many so-called âhigh-endâ visitors leave the island owing the âhigh-endâ hotels large sums of money, possibly because certain guests are trusted because of their apparent positions.
Furthermore, Iâm offended by Sandalsâ head honcho Gordon âButchâ Stewartâs comments that Governmentâs concessions will allow his company to âlay the base to bring to the island quality visitors who would spend quality money . . .â. What defines a âquality visitorâ and how does money differ in quality? Â
We must treat all our visitors with respect as long as they return this respect. With regard to nurturing them, we need to pay attention to our service quality. This must be consistent. Itâs embarrassing when one has a good experience at a restaurant one night and recommends it to visitors, only to find that they experience disgusting service when they visit. I can attest to this since I accompanied a group of visitors to a restaurant recently where dinner took over an hour to arrive, and then two meals were served at a time, so that by the time the last person was served, everyone else had finished. To add insult to injury, one meal was incorrect and so was the bill. Obviously they wonât be visiting that restaurant again, nor will I be recommending it. New restaurants also have to ensure that as they grow in popularity, they increase their staff and/or efficiency commensurately or they will quickly lose their good reputation and perhaps even close down.
All local restaurants would do well to take a leaf out of Chiryl Wiltshire-Newmanâs book. In the face of many challenges, her restaurant Champers has moved from strength to strength and her quality of service and fare has never waned. She has demonstrated that consistently superior service is achievable.
I noted recently our increasing noise problem. A few days later I was âtreatedâ to deafening noise until 5:30 a.m., which I was shocked to discover was emanating from a party in my neighbourhood.
If this was emanating from a private home, one can imagine what the case is with nightclubs. Do we expect our visitors to accept this, or the constant loud buzz from the âbullsâ of kites left out at night? Why does a kite have to have a âbullâ in the first place, the sole purpose of which is to make an irritating noise? The noise problem is so out of hand that an American who has been resident here for many years suggests that Immigration officers distribute earplugs at the airport. Can we afford to let a problem which can be so easily solved by the enforcement of proper legislation undermine the considerable investment in our tourism industry?
l Dr Francess Chandler is a former Independent senator. Email fchandler@caribsurf.com.