A WORLD RENOWNED chef has advised that showcasing an authentic Barbados is the best way the island could guarantee increased visitor arrivals.
International chef Marcus Samuelson, while speaking to the media at the official opening of the 2014 Barbados Food and Wine and Rum Festival at the Oistins Bay Garden on Thursday night, stressed that authenticity was what today’s tourists most looked for when choosing a destination. And he suggested to tourism marketing officials that the promotion of places like Oistins was critical.
“We know the beaches are amazing, the rum is amazing, but this place [Oistins] is also very unique because it is local. If you go to a place like Barbados it is important to see the beautiful hotels and the beaches, but nowhere else in the world can you get this – that is why I’m so proud to be doing my event at Oistins. This is very rare and it should be celebrated,” Samuelson said.
Credited for taking the festival to Oistins this year, Samuelson of Food Network fame, said he was pleased with the progress of the five-year-old festival. He praised the island for not just growing as a food and beverage destination but at the same time sprouting talented young chefs.
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