TIME HAS PROVEN repeatedly that in Barbados so often we are our own worst enemy.
This week we have been boasting about the attractiveness of the island to the super rich and famous.
This newspaper has highlighted the “stars” who have been on the island for the holidays with their fat wallets, mega yachts and luxury jets and the financial benefits they bring to the island.
But in the process we have shown once again how much we talk and how little we do to turn those words into action. Talking big and doing little or nothing has apparently become a national pastime for those who lead the country. Since the mid-1980s when Barbados was boasting of the prestige of hosting the Atlantic Rally For Cruisers (ARC), there was robust debate about the need for a proper marina.
When the organisers eventually shifted the finish line to St Lucia after years of frustration and broken promises, our national feelings were hurt, but the chatter about the need for a marina intensified. We also know that it was around that time that Sir Charles Williams and his brother Ralph “Bizzy” Williams submitted plans for a marina at the Pierhead in Bridgetown, but for a number of reasons that never materialised.
During the tenure of the Owen Arthur Government, hopes for such a project were rekindled as Government and some key players in business discussed what became known as the Pierhead Development Project. Over the past decade though, this project appears to have shifted from the front- to the back-burner and then out of mind.
One of the planks of Barbados’ tourism development has been the weight given to marketing the island as a special place for high-end visitors. The development of our West Coast and upscale projects such as Apes Hill Club and Royal Westmoreland, along with an ever expanding villa market, are evidence of the potential of this niche.
Yes, our world has changed since the last major economic crash, and prudence would dictate that we broaden our tourism offering as much as possible to cushion ourselves against the negative impact of any such recurrence – but it should not be an excuse for neglecting the areas that have served us well.
Barbados lost the ARC event to St Lucia because that country offered all the facilities Barbados promised but never delivered, and as our neighbours – and competitors – seek to build their own economies it would not be unreasonable to expect them to target more of what has given us an edge.
We have projects such as the Port St Charles and Port Ferdinand marinas in St Peter, but they are tied to ownership or rental of luxury apartments within. These have their place, but are no substitute for a marina that caters to those who sail the oceans and land in Barbados for a week or two, and who want to live on their vessels while being free to move on and off shore as they explore the island and what it has to offer.
Safe harbour, equipped with all the modern facilities, including easy berthing, convenient and stable gangways that cater to children and seniors and allow for easy replenishment of supplies are musts in the modern yachting world. We cannot invite the rich [or not so rich] to our shores and offer them mooring off the West Coast or in Carlisle Bay and a dinghy to get to and from shore. If we keep doing that they will go elsewhere.
What makes our failure to provide suitable facilities for so long that much more untenable is the fact that such projects usually come with their own private sector funding once Government is willing to negotiate in good faith and ensure that the state agencies that facilitate such projects function efficiently and that incentives are competitive.
Take-it-on-our-terms approaches served up with a regime of bureaucracy and red tape no longer work when so many other jurisdictions will cut and contrive in the most creative ways to attract such projects to their shores.
It’s time to get moving on the Pierhead Development Project – or some similar venture.