Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley has renewed calls for a stronger national commitment to tourism, suggesting a revisit of the once-popular slogan “Tourism is our business. Let us play our part”.
However, chief executive officer of the Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc, Andrea Franklin, has said no decision has yet been made to adopt or revive an official slogan.
Speaking during Tuesday’s opening ceremony of the Royalton Vessence Barbados in Holetown, St James, Mottley said the slogan from days past aptly captured the essence of Barbados’ relationship with tourism, noting that it remained just as relevant today.
“We know different and that is why from when I was a little girl in this country, we had a slogan, that I still maintain – I say it in hope – that one day the Ministry of Tourism will resume it. We had a slogan that worked for us,” she said.
The Prime Minister stressed that the slogan reflected a timeless truth about the country’s relationship with tourism, its main foreign exchange earner.
“Tourism is our business. Let us play our part. A slogan that is real, a slogan that is true, does not need to be renewed because it reflects the essence of who we are,” she added.
Barbados has not adopted a tourism slogan since 2021 when the tagline “Little Island, Big Barbados” was presented but met with public criticism.
It was aimed at selling Barbados’ tourism product in overseas markets. Following the backlash, it was removed and a large committee led by vice-chancellor of the University of the West Indies Professor Sir Hilary Beckles was tasked with developing a new one.
An earlier slogan, Barbados: Just Beyond The Imagination,
focused on Barbados as a quality destination for visitors.
Speaking with the DAILY NATION yesterday, Franklin said they have not discussed a slogan.
“We haven’t had a slogan in a few years. Every year when we review our marketing plan, there’s a discussion but many brands are no longer going that route,” she said.
Franklin, who was also present at the opening of the new hotel, noted that the sentiments expressed by the Prime Minister were still expected to influence future tourism engagement efforts.
“What the Prime Minister was speaking about is something that we will be factoring into our local outreach and our local public relations and awareness of tourism. That’s something that we will factor in from that perspective. But right now, we don’t have a slogan,” she said.
(JRN)