Minister of Tourism Kerrie Symmonds has described a video circulating on social media involving tourists and an apparent jet ski operator as “very unsettling”.
In the recording, the Barbadian is seen engaged in a heated argument with visitors who are not on screen. He is heard being abusive, using vile expletives, as the visitors called him out on his behaviour. It is not known what sparked the exchange.
Symmonds said on Wednesday: “I honestly think that what we saw was a display of incivility that went beyond that which is reasonable or expected. But we all know that it is true that in Barbados, if the sno-cone vendor puts too much syrup or the wrong colour syrup in the sno-cone, he is likely to be greeted with a similar torrent of abuse . . . and it goes right up the scale.
“At a personal level, it was deeply distressing that some folks are not getting the message. I believe I will hear that there are extenuating circumstances, and I probably will be told there are justifications which can be advanced, but I believe what we are dealing with is a situation that goes beyond just how you treat a tourist.”
Cautioning that Barbadians needed “to learn to disagree without being disagreeable”, the minister added: “I am appalled that something could escalate to that level in circumstances where I am sure that if the individual on camera had it all to do over, he would in hindsight want to do it a lot differently.
“This strikes at the heart of how we as Barbadians treat ourselves and how we interact with each other.” (GC)
