While welcoming Government’s decision to shelve the proposed Tourist Accommodation Bill for wider consultation, the Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association (BHTA) is warning that the regulation of the sector cannot be put on the back burner.
Chairman of the BHTA, Javon Griffith, described the pause as “a constructive step, one that creates space for meaningful dialogue and collaboration across the sector”.
He said that while the BHTA respected the need to engage more voices, particularly small operators who may have been concerned about costs and obligations under the proposed law, Barbados could not afford to delay indefinitely on an issue central to its international competitiveness.
“This Bill has been under development for some time. A town hall meeting at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre in January 2024, open to all tourism stakeholders and the general public, examined the proposed standards in detail. The draft was also circulated by our secretariat to members on January 15, 2024,” Griffith told the DAILY NATION.
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