Barbadians are giving hotels a lifeline by taking advantage of staycations.
Chief executive officer of the Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association (BHTA), Senator Rudy Grant, yesterday described as “extremely good” Barbadians’ response to staycations in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
He said efforts were being made to see how those Barbadians opting to holiday at hotels could be encouraged to visit attractions, patronise restaurants and generally give a boost to the industry while making a contribution to employment and the economy.
Several hotels have reopened since the COVID-19 lockdown, but without the customary level visitor arrivals. Most of them have been experiencing very small occupancies. As a result, they have been offering attractive packages for Barbadians to occupy rooms that would otherwise remain empty.
Fielding questions from the media during a virtual press conference, Grant said this support was vital, since the island would not be experiencing the bumper 2020 that had been anticipated.
BHTA chairman Geoffrey Roach said the organisation was working on a revised programme it hoped to put out very shortly that looked at staycations “from a much broader perspective”.
That initiative, he added, would not be limited to a hotel stay but would incorporate all the attractions and experiences which Barbados had to offer, and of which only visitors took advantage in many instances. (GC)