MANY HOTELS ARE almost full and occupancy is expected to remain high for some time due to the number of sporting and cultural events taking place in Barbados over next few months.
According to Minister of Tourism Richard Sealy, it was “heartwarming” that the tourism sector had been able to put up some fight during these tough times.
“From the polling we have done, all of the hotels that we spoke to had occupancies in the 90s except for one which had an occupancy of 75 per cent.
“Frankly speaking, that hotel needs so much work that 75 per cent for them is almost like 150 per cent for anybody else. We’re doing pretty well right now and we want to continue doing that,” he said.
Sealy was addressing the official opening of Infinity On The Beach hotel in St Lawrence Gap, Christ Church, on Saturday night.
Speaking to the DAILY NATION afterward, he said upcoming events would have a positive impact on tourist arrivals.
Barbados will host three Twenty20 matches between the West Indies and England between March 5 and 11 while Holders Season will run from March 19 to April 5.
Also expected to attract visitors is the Oistins Fish Festival from April 19 to 21, Barbados Reggae Festival April 21-27 and the Top Gear Festival May 17 and 18.
“An English cricket tour in particular always will give us some more numbers out of our major source market but also some of our other markets as well, so we’re happy to have that situation,” Sealy said.
As for the Top Gear Festival, he said it was “also going to be huge”.
“That one excites me because I think that it gives us an opportunity to take sports tourism in a new dimension. We have had motor sport activity before but this is taking it to another level.”
Noting that Holders Season and Oistins “attract a few people”, he said what was more important was that they provided activity for those visitors already here.
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