What we find troubling is the glib way Chairman Taylor spoke to a expected increase in airlift without detailing as Looking Glass has the logistical impediments to the arrangements with the airlines.

‘We’ or rather the policymakers seem to apply different logics to the same problem.
Arrival numbers are DOWN so the only solution put forward is to discount and further discount. apply massive subsidies and offer the product at below cost.
Those hotels and tourism partners trying to maintain rate integrity through sound marketing and management are cast aside as if they have nothing to offer.

While at the same time, what do they do with the airport departure taxes and add-ons, put them UP.

Jamaica is a very different market to Barbados in many respects and they have to do things slightly differently due to having to drive a huge arrival replacement percentage and their cost based hotel plant.

As far as I am aware, it was only initially planned that WestJet would operate during the winter.
While I was in their head office, I marvelled at their goals and objectives
and everybody appeared really miserable unless each plane had a load factor of 80% or more.
I still think the way to keep them flying through the summer is to introduce other gateways, especially Ottawa. I also tried to persuade Sean Duffy, their CEO to turn one or two of their B737 options into B737-700 which would enable a non-stop Winnipeg service.
A million plus population with longer winters (October-May). We have done it before, WardAir.

The other area (in my humble opinion) where we have failed dismally is by not seriously tapping the frequent flyer and loyalty market.
American AAdvantage has over 50 million members alone.
Take the cost of the air ticket out of the equation and all we have to do is to promote an attractive land package.
The use of MILES also takes the economic geographics out of the problem.
Same number of miles to fly from Portland, Seatle, Vancouver, San Francisco, Los Angeles or Chicago as New York, Miami or Toronto.

I think I brought up the subject of using MILES at every single BTA Board meeting and the now defunct National Tourism Marketing Committee, but to absolutely no avail in North America.

There seems to be this reluctance to try
strategies that have not been tried before.

And you know what happens if you do not at least try new things. Nothing new happens!

In other words boys ever so welcome wait for a call. You are banned.

Have they ever heard of the supply and demand theory?

Couldn’t agree with you more. As an annual traveler to Barbados for the last 20 years, I was extremely surprised that US Airways has cut back their flights to the island – flying to Barbados from Charlotte on Saturdays ONLY. Where did the negotiations break down here? Surely this was not a decision made by US Airways only.

Anonymous I good lookin too…! But you soun’ like a man…
AAAAAAAAAAghhhhhhhhhhhh

@Royalrumble

You labelling of BU is expected. In case you have not notice BU rarely moderates. Even if BU is pro-DLP you are welcome to comment by engaging and not spewing. This is not the first time BU has expressed concerns about the leadership at the BTA. Scroll down to see our questions of Chairman Taylor and CEO Rice.

Additionally when you have posted we have had reason to challenge your positions, if that makes us pro-DLP so be it. Be warned that the BU family reserves the right to challenge any comment.

BTW Rice is the CEO, a frualein slip perhaps?

It is interesting to me that every conversation about tourism to Barbados centers on MARKETING. The fact of the matter is that more people still travel on ‘word of mouth’ reccomendations, and we have a lot of basic stuff to fix in our product if we are to come close to reaching our potential. Basic, basic stuff. Get the drug pushers off the beaches. Have taxis at the airport at all times – a recent after midnight arrival I came in on and guess what – 1 taxi available for a plane load of AA pasengers. The dispatcher told me ‘late nights when the fellows get a drop, they does keep straight home’. He made calls and 3/4 hour later, after all th delays some cabs started to arrive. Unacceptable. Garbage all over the place – zero enforcement. Hotels face a myraid of bureaucratic red tape to do anything – can we be serious, tax clearance required every quarter for duty free import of the ‘list’. 60% duty on wood furniture. When you are trying to compete on the world stage you cannot with handicaps like that. We need a pristine, low crime, reasonable (not high) cost environment. Unacceptable, serious noise pollution in several areas. With product improvements the marketers would stand a much greater chance of success.

Dear Anonymous you wrote “I hear the stores were complaining about having to be open in the morning when there were passengers in the terminal”

You mean to tell me that the stores would rather open when there are NO passengers in the termnal?

We have been made to understand that the government sought a summer service with West Jet but was unsuccessful because of unavailable equipment. The Jet Blue service from New York is expected to offer price competition to AA.

It would too much to expect an official response to the charge by Looking Glass of such incompetence?

Dear Mr. Gearbox, Are you by any chance looking for a Hijra? I am just wondering as there are some Hijras in my Guyana that would love to visit the beautiful country of the handsome tourism minister.

I know our two countries are at loggerheads with this immigration thing, but we Guyanese can certainly spice up things over there by sending over some of our Hirjras, whom I might add are trained specifically in the care and comfort of men, and of course as you know the best way to any man’s heart is food, so our hijras would certainly cook up a storm in Barbadosland with some of our Guyanese specialities, such as dhal puri and sour, jaleppi, dhal, alloo roti, channa masala, cook up, metamghee and black pudding. Anyway, I am just wondering.

BTA gone mad. Just when you thought that you had heard the worse from the new Chairman of the BTA Mr. David Price out came the comment in his press statement in today’s newspaper that they are lobbying for the removal of the tax imposed on travelers coming out of Britain.

Can you believe this madness that a man would support the imposition of a tax on regional travelers to raise money for the regional tourism stakeholders to financed tourism projects but would lobby against another country doing the same?

How do you explain this thought process? In my view it tells the sad story about the new breed of Barbadian thinkers – the type that would in one breath advocate pelting every Guyanese out of Barbados and in the next breath accosting other countries for not allowing Barbadians to enter their country.

They are those who don’t like my strong defence on this blog but I must say the BTA is in crisis – a crisis of competence and ability.

A Fast Free Fall – From Prosperity to Crisis

There can be no denying that under Errol Barrow, the DLP was a political institution that helped lift hundreds of thousands of Barbadians into the middle class.

Back then, the DLP continued the transforming of this country that started by Grantley Adams, utilizing Barbadian talent and innovation and its access to grant funds and concessionary loans.

Today, not knowing what it is doing (even though being the government) the DLP’s slide continues with Errol Barrow’s Party travelling below the earth at record speed.

The DLP’s reality is therefore: “a Fast Free Fall – From Prosperity to Crisis.”

This is something that would have been unfathomable twenty-two years ago, much less three decades ago, when it was a dominant force in local and regional politics.

Today, the DLP practices gimmicks, such as giving tourist from Europe and North America – money back, if the temperature drops below a certain level, even though moving aggressively to deport Caribbean people from Barbados.

But while the DLP moves aggressively to deport Caribbean people from Barbados, right here in this country – Chinese are threatening to bulldoze the homes of Barbadians who have been living on the land for over a half of a century.

Talk about counterfeit DLP patriotism!

It is now not a question of if the DLP is doing a poor job but whether the DLP is capable of governing at all – at this time of what is being described as the worst economic crisis in 80 years.

Ironically, the man who is purporting to be acting in the name of Barbadians and who is pushing such an “inhumane policy” to put immigrants out of this country – is none other than David Thompson, who was born in England.

Rarely has a political institution fallen so far and as fast as the Democratic Labour Party.

And while its slide below the earth has intensified in recent months, the arrival of this ugly moment is still a staggering blow, particularly for anyone who love and respect our National Hero – The Rt. Excellent Errol Barrow.

In the great words of Little Jack from the Incredibles. We’re deeaadd!! We’re deeaadd!!.

With recent issues like the onion situation and this the air lift issue, I am wondering if this government is really serious about having this island thrive.

Are we really serious? These seem to be such little things yet the Ministers seem incapable of handling them and it is apparent to be literally caught unawares and have been blind sided.

It really is mind boggling.

Simple, let me first apologize for not answering you earlier. The truth is that I was not aware that the comment was here. I rarely go back to old post and comments. Nevertheless I will respond.

I am not sure why Canada was single out for comment but I would want to say from the outset that in tourism the benefits derive in one year must be attributed to the work done the previous year. Hence the growth achieved in the Canadian market in 2008 must fall to the credit of the last BLP Government under the former Tourism Minister Lynch.

A proper gauge as to how this DLP policy is working in the Canadian market will be determined at the end of 2009.

I think the article below will answer the questions you asked me but bear in mind my comments above.

CANADA SHOWED STRONGEST GROWTH TO CARIBBEAN IN 2008

March 25, 2009

NEW YORK, March 25, 2009 – Despite the current economic challenges facing the travel and tourism industry, the Caribbean Tourism Organization’s statistics show that interest remains high in the Caribbean, particularly within North America where the core of the region’s tourist arrivals originated. Tourist arrivals to the Caribbean steadily increased in 2008 from the previous year. With a total of nearly 2.5 million Canadian visitors, the Canadian tourism market accounted for an outstanding 14 percent growth overall.

“Canadians have been long-time supporters of the Caribbean and have nearly doubled their tourism numbers to the region since 2005,” said Hugh Riley, interim secretary general of the CTO and co-chief executive officer for the Caribbean Tourism Development Company (CTDC). “The latest statistics underscore the importance of Canada as one of the Caribbean region’s top tourism markets.”

Canada is showing strong support of the Caribbean region from tour operators as well as additional investments from air carriers. Airlift from new gateway cities, particularly from the West have been added including WestJet’s new direct service to Nassau from Calgary and Transat’s new direct service to Jamaica. Barbados, Jamaica, Dominican Republic and St. Lucia all gained new airlift this past winter season, and both Air Canada and Sunwing commenced additional flights to new destinations throughout the Caribbean region.

The Caribbean, in turn, is continuing to invest in new products throughout 2009, with hotel and resort developments and openings across the region.

Note that CTO’s statistical information is constantly being revised. For the most recent data on tourist arrival statistics, visit: http://www.onecaribbean.org/statistics/tourismstats/.