THERE WAS MUCH rejoicing in 2011 when UNESCO added Historic Bridgetown And Its Garrison to its World Heritage list.
It was seen as international recognition of Barbados’ contribution to heritage and an opportunity to fully exploit the benefits of heritage tourism.
This was a point emphasised by Minister of Culture Stephen Lashley when he reacted to UNESCO listing almost four years ago.
“Historic Bridgetown and the Garrison are two of the most important sites on the island, and once this news reaches the international media it will not only help promote heritage tourism, but Barbados as a destination,” media reports quoted him as saying then.
“The site would become a pivotal point of interest, particularly for those who are interested in heritage. Indeed, the element of heritage tourism is one of the fastest growing components of tourism, which means that the fact Barbados has been successful in this particular venture augurs well for our heritage tourism evolution and for tourism on a whole,” he added.
But how much has Barbados moved to benefit from the inscription from a tourism perspective? And what other efforts are planned to make Barbados a more prominent destination for tourisms interested in heritage?
Organisations like the Barbados Museum & Historical Society and the Barbados
National Trust have been undertaking a number of projects focused on this area, including preservation of historic sites like the Gun Hill Signal Station and ancient homes and properties.
Incorporated activities
Agencies like the National Cultural Foundation have also been incorporating other aspects of Barbados’ heritage in their activities, including the cultural walk through Bridgetown that is part of Crop Over.
However, there are those who do not think Barbados is doing enough to preserve its heritage. One of them is architectural historian Professor Sir Henry Fraser, who in the past has referred to “tragedies, scandals, dereliction and decay of the treasures of Barbados”.
The “treasures” he said needed to be preserved included Empire Theatre, Queen’s Park House, Carnegie Library, the old Supreme Court, Marshall Hall, The Old Eye Ward, and the Old Fire Station.
“These are matters which we must give attention to and therefore I take this opportunity of letting the public of Barbados know that we have a humongous task ahead of us to restore these treasures in order to bring Bridgetown to the same quality of beauty, aesthetic appreciation and architectural attraction as the Garrison itself,” he said.
The need for Barbados to access the benefits likely from an increased focus on heritage was also addressed last May during the Caribbean Conference of National Trusts and Preservation Societies in Barbados.
“There is ample evidence now that cultural heritage tourism is indeed one of the fastest growing segments of tourism. Cultural heritage tourism is now widely recognised as it becomes an important item for tourism policy makers worldwide,” Minister of Tourism Richard Sealy said during a speech at the event.
The Global Heritage Fund, an international non-profit organisation founded in 2002,
has concluded that there is a US$100 billion “global heritage” opportunity for “developing and emerging countries”.