THIS MONTH BARBADOS welcomed some of the world’s newest, largest and most luxurious cruise liners and we did so in an environment where all the signs point to a resurgence of our tourism sector.
Since the late 1960, Barbados has been paying major attention to its tourism industry with pride of place for decades going to the long-stay visitor subsector. The level of investment in hotel and restaurant development has been phenomenal, as have been the benefits to the economy and society.
Without doubt there is no way the country could have achieved the level of development for which it is recognised regionally and internationally had we not paid so much attention to our hospitality sector. Our West and South Coasts are unmatched by any island in this part of the Caribbean as far as tourism zones are concerned.
In the last two decades, however, the real growth in world tourism has been taking place on the high seas, fuelled by the creation of mega floating cities and a desire by an increasing number of potential tourists to touch more than one destination while on holiday, and to do so at affordable rates.
And while Barbados has been a major beneficiary of this development, it is becoming increasingly clear that our competitors have determined that they will not roll over and play dead. They clearly intend to compete vigorously for every visitor they can possibly attract.
In this environment, our Government, the agencies that have been charged with developing, marketing and managing our tourism sector, and every last Barbadian with any sense of pride in our homeland and a desire to see us maintain and even surpass the standard of living we have achieved, must perform at optimum levels. Nothing less will give us an advantage in this fight.
That’s why we are suggesting that nationally we need to take a look at our infrastructure and determine if we are satisfied with our traditional approaches to allocating funds for its maintenance, or if it is time to take a fresh approach. We have an extensive road network that is expensive to maintain, and every day that goes by without the required attention means it will become more expensive to correct when we get around to it.
We cannot invite visitors to our shores and then subject them to crumbling roads, dangerous bends that should have been corrected two decades ago, and inadequate signage, all of which are enveloped in overgrown bush and trees.
On the ABC and Ronald Mapp highways we have successfully implemented a private sector-led beautification programme that has been immensely successful. There is no reason why a similar model can’t be employed along the other major highways. The practice of Ministry of Transport and Works personnel weeding the roadside with hoes at the rate of a few metres a day is obsolete and money wasting.
We also need to look at the upkeep and delivery of recreational services at the site of landmarks and other places of interest. The restaurant at Farley Hill National Park in St Peter has been advertising for an operator for years, even longer than similar facilities at Barclays Park in St Andrew have been under construction.
There are no bathroom facilities at the hugely popular Cherry Tree Hill; and while the view from Hackleton’s Cliff is breathtaking, there is nothing inviting about the lookout site. And across the island we continue to ignore the national treasures that our lighthouses are. All these amount to just a fraction of attractions across the island that need to come into the 21st century.
Our point here is that we need to refresh our attractions, repackage our tours, come up with initiatives that make our cruise visitors feel so charmed they can’t wait to return as long-stay guests – create the kind of environment and the suite of attractions that allow us to stand out among any number of competitors in the region.
And we have the foundation to do it; we just need to apply the creativity and determination necessary to achieve it.
