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UK Amber Alert Catspradles Tourist Sector

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UK travel light system explained

This week the UK relaxed overseas travel, however, based on a traffic light classification it means UK travellers to Barbados- a country classified AMBER- will have to quarantine for 10 days on return. Based on a BU source hotels and apartments in Barbados have started to receive cancellations.

Arrivals from countries on the amber list will need to quarantine at home for 10 days, in addition to forking out for tests before and after their trip. You should not travel there for leisure purposes.

Traffic light system: red, amber and green list countries – where can I go on holiday abroad?

The Barbados government front loaded its economic recovery strategy by expending significant resources to keep the local tourism industry afloat. The AMBER classification must be accepted for what it is, a body blow. Unless Prime Minister Mia Mottley can do a Houdini tourist traffic for the summer from our most profitable market just went south.

This event now unfolding must cause a critique of the COVID 19 immunization policy. Has the time come for the government through the Chief Medical Officer to authorize private medical facilities to deliver COVID 19 vaccinations? Unless were are able to achieve 70/80% coverage that defines herd immunity, we will not be able to refloat the tourism boat in the near term.

#lisacummins

#drkennethgeorge

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221 responses to “UK Amber Alert Catspradles Tourist Sector”

  1. TLSN Avatar
    TLSN

    The reliance on the one club (the tourist industry) in the golf bag has not worked out well for Barbados.

    Covid-19 has been with us for well over one year and the government along with our fabled private sector market appear to have no alternative practical working solutions to diversify our mono-economy.

    I am just echoing the views of the banned Native son.

  2. angela cox Avatar
    angela cox

    Choing Guy Hewitt
    Where there in no vision the people failed
    Xxxxxxxxccc
    A govt hell bent on relying on PR messages haven’t got time to plan for country or people

  3. angela cox Avatar
    angela cox

    Quoting Guy Hewitt
    Where there in no vision the people failed
    Xxxxxxxxccc
    A govt hell bent on relying on PR messages haven’t got time to plan for country or people

  4. John A Avatar
    John A

    @David

    Yes this is another major setback for our recovery sadly. You have PM Boris coming out and basically telling his people today DO NOT TRAVEL TO AMBER LISTED LOCATIONS. This came apparently after one of his minsters sent ” the wrong message ” to the people this week.

    Seems like one of the key things we need to do from reading between the lines, is get the vaccinated percentage of our population way up from where it now is. Clearly in the eyes of Boris we are moving way too slow vaccinating our people.

    So why don’t we bring the private GPs on board too? Several people including this one, would be more than happy to pay to have a GP save them 4 hours of down time waiting in a line in de hot sun not earning a blind cent!

    So where do we go from here? Do we continue as is and drag our tail with the rate of vaccinations, thereby writing off the summer tourist season, or do we act now and bring the GPs on board and hasten the paste while easing the burden on the polyclinics ?

    Decision is wunna one, but I willing to ease the state cost and pay my GP to give muh my 2 shots if it mean we tourist Industry could make a few dollars in the last quarter of this year. Em is that or such salt waiting for the Amber light to turn green, while Boris wait for us to reach a 75% inoculation rate maybe by 2022.

  5. WURA-War-on-U Avatar
    WURA-War-on-U

    well…it’s been years they were WARNED to diversify, so now it’s all on them, let’s see them game play out of this…told them they are lacking in critical thinking skills, they would take that as an insult instead of leveling up.

    all the consultants and tens of millions of tax dollars spent on them and none could see it coming, while they got the info for free on BU and ignored it, total genieasses.

    tunnel vision squared.

  6. John2 Avatar
    John2

    That why we had the mess called the last decade?

  7. Hants Avatar
    Hants

    Little Island, Big Barbados.

    What now ?

  8. Hants Avatar
    Hants

    ” Barbados’ visitor arrivals and the money it makes from tourism could take up to four years to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

    That is the assessment of the economic and tourism sector team from the Inter-American Development Bank’s (IDB) Caribbean Department in the new report Imagining a Post-COVID Tourism Recovery: Regional Overview.”

  9. Critical Analyzer Avatar
    Critical Analyzer

    @WURA-War-on-U May 19, 2021 9:30 PM
    I sure most of the consultant recommendations were plagiarized from blog comments. I hope the references section of their paper correctly attributes the source of their ideas to the various blog contributions.

  10. WURA-War-on-U Avatar
    WURA-War-on-U

    not them, they like to tief other people’s ideas, inventions etc too much and don’t give the original owners any credit let alone money they deserve for what is theirs…these got a lot to pay for.

    Those schools that TIEF children’s art paintings that are supposed to be RETURNED TO THEM after they finish CXC exams but instead SELL them to lowlifes like the sandy lane racists or anyone with money to pay for STOLEN property for literally MILLIONS OF DOLLARS and don’t give the children A DIME for what they created, you will BE EXPOSED…Rudder was right, some schools engage in STEALING from creative students…….and don’t give them their due…lowlifes to their core.

    …oh how they wish they had back PLT.,,but the dummy for home affairs minister screwed that one up with the cover up of child torture and the violation of the constitution…the norm for them.

    that 4 year dependency tourism recovery period just got shifted AND increased…while they play their little Slave games with the Black population who they don’t want to see advance economically nor socially……just knew that crime against humanity would return TO BITE HARD one day, yesterday was that day…

    this will be an interesting show to watch..

    ah…so much material to turn into viable stories…

  11. angela cox Avatar
    angela cox

    More small business closures
    Too much govt interest supplied to the top tier and no interest supplied to the bottom
    Now see what happens as big countries closed their tourism doors to small islands
    Not one of these leaders have any insight of what it takes to build a country
    A few days ago one influence lead to a opening of a small business for a budding entrepreneur
    Mottley took to international stage for a better part of two years to sell sand and sun
    Now the sun has dim more than slightly and the waves crashed violently to the shores
    What does Barbados have on hand as a replacement Nada
    Not even a rubber band to sell in the interest of the country

  12. angela cox Avatar
    angela cox

    But what would anyone expect from a govt who relocated the fire dept miles away from the heart of the business industry which also includes govt business and the QEH
    Spend millions of dollars to blow up another govt building because govt can
    Spending more millions to replace Nelson
    Telling a bold faced PR story about building houses for low wage earners which most would not have credit to obtain
    Already complied a list of first deceptions
    Oops and as many called the invisible Hyatt which was said to bring jobs and integrity to downtown Bridgetown
    But then again Mia cares

  13. TheOGazerts Avatar
    TheOGazerts

    @ac
    “Mottley took to international stage for a better part of two years to sell sand and sun
    Now the sun has dim more than slightly and the waves crashed violently to the shores”

    Very good. Almost poetic.
    (2) Your 5:35 could be combined with an earlier post so that you have a complete list of ‘misdeeds’ in one place.

  14. Artax Avatar
    Artax

    It’s also “telling bold faced political PR stories” when someone posts comments from social media platforms that are dominated by DLP supporters or quote from articles written by DLP henchmen, in their politically orchestrated attempts to
    give the impression what is mentioned therein, is the general consensus of the Barbadian electorate.

    But, rather than providing BU with politically biased, one-sided perspectives, the intention of which is to deceive, why not bring a level of ‘fairness and balance’ by presenting unbiased, non-partisan opinions as well?

  15. john2 Avatar
    john2

    More small business closures
    Too much govt interest supplied to the top tier and no interest supplied to the bottom
    Now see what happens as big countries closed their tourism doors to small islands

    XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

    Now see what happens when you close the borders to tourism for over a year as you have been advocating ?

  16. angela cox Avatar
    angela cox

    Ok Artax
    This one fuh you to think about
    The mad stampeding of the Constitution
    Which the court recently said to govt Hell No

  17. john2 Avatar
    john2

    Not one of these leaders have any insight of what it takes to build a country

    XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXxxx

    DEM is who made tourism and only tourism the gravy train. DEM destroyed every other thing.

  18. Hants Avatar
    Hants

    A few nore more years of suffering.

    The DLP wasted the opportunity to diversify the economy during their time in office.

    The BLP wasted the opportunity to diversify the economy during their time in office before Covid 19.

    I will continue to visit BU while using the scroll button to avoid commenters who write more shiite than me.

  19. WURA-War-on-U Avatar
    WURA-War-on-U

    The DEEP GRAVE they dug for the Black population for 54 YEARS is now a HOLE wide Enuff to fit and ACCOMMODATE all of them…..watch muh nuh,,,

  20. John A Avatar
    John A

    Must everything degenerate into to the B and D crap on this blog?

    The issue we have here is one of economic survival for ALL of us on this rock. The colour code is based on several factors, but the 2 main ones are rate of new infections and vaccinated percentage of total population. We need to move faster with the vaccination process by including the private gps. We can not have bajans both D and B standing up in the hot sun for 4 hours, when BAMP has over 100 qualified members in air conditioned offices capable of solving the problem. Right now we have a dual health system made up of private and government sectors just use the dam thing and be done.

    The only way out of this is for us to satisfy the tourism masters that we are on top of this. Unless we move faster and get the inoculated percentage of the population to over twice what it is we will stay right where we are stuck in amber.

    In other words both B and Ds will continue to suck salt. The 40,000 unemployed will remain where they are and the economy will continue to free fall as a result.

    Government must now accept the fact that they can not handle this inoculation process on their own fast enough to get the summer season going and see the bigger picture. You have a private public sector health service that has served us well for years, swallow your pride and use it now for the betterment of all us before we lose the entire summer business.

  21. Artax Avatar
    Artax

    I did not mention your name, yet you responded. Seems as though you’re a ‘cyber stalker.’

    However, why would you want to advise anyone “to think about the mad stampeding of the Constitution,” especially when you AGREED with similar occurrences under the previous DLP administration?

    I’m sure you can recall Caswell Franklyn’s column, “Government ignores the law and does what it likes,’ in which he chastised the DEMS for engaging in a similar “mad stampeding of the Constitution,” when it ordered a national shutdown on the approaching of tropical storm Matthew.

    This ‘is what you had to say’ at that time:

    “ac October 9, 2016 6:51 AM # So Caswell point is that govt ignore the law. in what way ? Was govt not in its right to use a moral path of persuasion as an alternative method as a specific requirement to all business?
    Are there not periods when govts have refrained from using actions required by legislation and lean on the consciousness of its people through moral persuasion to deliver a strong message in a timely fashion with a necessity to create order? Have society become so hardened at the heart that govt should not pursue less civil course of action with a meaningful ingredient of protection.”

    Your above comments clearly indicate you AGREED with the Freundel Stuart administration’s decisions when it ignored the laws. But, you now have a problem when similar is being done by the Mottley administration.

    Surely this is an example of double standards and hypocrisy. The old proverb, ‘what is good for the goose, should also be good for the gander,’ immediately comes to mind.

  22. Enuff Avatar
    Enuff

    David
    Very few countries are on the green list and none that is a major tourist destination for Brits or Bdos’ competitor. Secondly, it is a dynamc list and the number of persons testing positive in Barbados has been consistently low for weeks and only 59 persons are now in isolation. The cancellations may therefore turn to later bookings if we continue on the current trend. 🤞🏾 The appetite for travel is there. Funny how the same folks who were supporting the church in the north now acting surprise.🤣🤣🤣

  23. David Avatar
    David

    @enuff

    That is understood, it does not change the fact that consideration to be on the green list is to have zero or little occurrence of the virus in the community. It makes sense to accelerate the immunization process by being proactive.

  24. David Avatar
    David

    @John A

    It must if you have people operating with narrow agendas.

  25. Enuff Avatar
    Enuff

    David
    Agree. I intended to mention continued vaccination as one of the factors that woul aid moving up the rankings.

  26. John A Avatar
    John A

    @ David

    To say that the British traveller does not have a good choice of other places that are green listed to travel to is a joke!

    I suggest those that think so look at the Amber and red listed areas and then subtract them from the global travel options out there today.

    We really need to stop living in LALA land and look globally to see what’s going on with tourism. If we don’t ramp up vaccinations in a massive way we will miss the entire summer season mark my words.

  27. David Avatar
    David

    @John A

    Barbados s a respected brand in the UK market that creates an emotional attachment whether through cricket, who is who living on the West Coast etc.

  28. John A Avatar
    John A

    @David

    Lol keep banking on that. This ain’t 1970 anymore my friend. They are many new options for the monied ones. Latest fad being over water bungalows. Go read what Sandals doing in Jamaica with them. Its no longer just the Maldives and these exotic islands in the game of change.

    Let we keep living on we laurels post covid and see where we end up with tourism.

  29. John A Avatar
    John A

    Folks go to the website thetravel.com and type in top 10 holiday destinations for the wealthy.

    Some of these will shock you trust me.

  30. David Avatar
    David

    @John A

    Our target is not isolated to the wealthy. Bear in mind Barbados is fighting for a sliver of a percentage of the overall market. The forgoing is not to deny the argument that we are overly dependent on tourism:

  31. Dullard Avatar
    Dullard

    Hahaha
    Is there no end to the fantasies?
    The 2021 summer tourist season is already written off. Do the BLP propagandists really think UK tourists sitting around waiting for Barbados to be added to some green list?

    By the way, Portugal is on the green list. It is a top 10 destination for UK tourists. Of the top 10 destinations for UK travelers, nine are in Europe.

  32. Dullard Avatar
    Dullard

    Barbados s a respected brand in the UK market that creates an emotional attachment whether through cricket, who is who living on the West Coast etc.

    This is the kind of jingoistic back slapping that has led to the worn out and tired tourism offering currently being served up.

  33. angela cox Avatar
    angela cox

    With all the comments the Crux of such an evolving situation wherby bdos is being thrown in ducks guys does not belies the fact that govt hands on the wheel has steered Barbados into a bad path
    Which now begs the question where does govt go from here
    Govt has recently said no mandatory vaccination
    But given the recent revelation that too can change as Bostic was quick to add to his new line of response when ask ” not yet ”
    Boy uh tell yuh bajans are in for a long ride
    Watching the Constitution being brought to it’s knees

  34. John A Avatar
    John A

    @ Dullard

    The market is open for many green light destinations. I deal with some clients that are in the UK and they will tell you that we are way behind where we need to be, both in terms of vaccinations and protocols. If we want to sit here and think that when ever we get around to 85% vaccination cover the English will be there lining up to come here, well wunna carry on smartly then.

    You see denial is a nice comfortable place to exist in. All you got to do there is bury you head in the sand and take it out now and again,look bout and then bury it back and say all is good and I will take it out the sand when the milk and honey days of tourism automatically return.

    Wunna wait pun it.

  35. Tony Avatar
    Tony

    Pardon my intrusion Chancellor.

    The big question: How long will your vaccine protection last ???????

    Protection from coronavirus vaccines is expected to wane, but no one knows when. It could be as soon as this fall for the first wave of people vaccinated last winter, and many predict that Covid boosters will soon join annual flu shots.

    Ideally, anyone worried about fading vaccine protection could get tested for Covid-fighting antibodies, the primary defense against the virus. But as cancer patients and others with impaired immune systems are learning, it’s not that simple.
    “The good news is, we have an antibody test that can test for whether or not you’ve made antibodies in response to the vaccine,” said Craig Bunnell, chief medical officer at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. “The bad news is that we don’t yet know how to interpret the results.”
    The gap in knowledge and testing raises the prospect of heightened anxiety in the coming months for vaccine recipients wondering if they’re still protected — anxiety that could curb willingness to venture out in public. That in turn could put a renewed drag on the global economic recovery.

    Scientists are racing to figure out the so-called correlates of protection against Covid; in other words, which test results assure immunity.

    New data is coming out almost weekly that brings researchers closer to understanding which immune signatures reflect protection, said epidemiologist Michael Mina of the Harvard Chan School of Public Health. But it’s likely to be months before the picture is clear, he said.

    It’s also not yet known how long the vaccines last in general. They’re so new that there hasn’t been time to follow recipients for very long; mounting evidence suggests the antibody protection lasts at least six months, but beyond that remains unclear.
    It’s the sort of post-vaccine limbo that those with impaired immune systems already know well..

  36. David Avatar
    David

    @John A

    The other view is that they will come when we are ready at anther time. The green countries cannot accommodate all the tourists, not all of them want to visit European countries. There is also incoming from Barbadians in the UK diaspora who yearn to visit home base. It is not all a gloomy outlook.

  37. Dullard Avatar
    Dullard

    @ John A

    Correct. The level of vaccination in is but one consideration. The UK would be looking at a range of things. Their main concern is keeping the UK public safe, not propping up the Barbados economy. What is so hard to understand about that?

    Barbados should now be looking at least 3-5 years out and planning on that basis.

  38. John A Avatar
    John A

    Listen so the deflectors of reality know not to try it 11 countries were moved to the green list on the 17th May 2021. I will not list all but let me give you the 5 that got the travel agents phones ringing steady in the UK over the last 2 days.

    GIBRALTAR
    PORTUGAL
    AZORES
    MADEIRA
    SIGNAPORE

    Now they got others on the said UK green list, but these are the ones that have been showing high interest with the uk traveller as of the 18th May. Plus you can check the ” covid buster” promotions alot of these destinations offering. Stay 5 nights pay for 4. No cancellation fees and the list goes on and on.

    So wunna can bury back wunna head in the sand now.

  39. David Avatar
    David

    @John A

    Let us agree this summer and winter (2021) will be a write off. We have projected occupancy of 15% for 2021. The take away from this blog is to reposition in a dynamic post Covid world.

  40. John A Avatar
    John A

    @ David

    There are 3 types of a mental disposition in most humans.

    The Optimist
    The Pessimist
    The Realist.

    I am in the last category. I don’t believe in crying wo is me I am destined to starve. I don’t believe either that if I sit here and don’t worry someone will magically appear with a large free chefette pizza either. I do believe though in feeding myself. I practice absorbing the data and then acting on it after weighing the realities and challenges free of sentiment and the false hope of divine intervention. So if you want to call that being all doom and gloom ,well feel free to do so. But I going leave you with a quote from Dr Phil.

    You can not change what you do not first acknowledge. That is why we should practice in a structured way simply put as this. Situation followed by analysis followed by formulated response to current conditions.

    Now answer me honestly have you seen that approach from the government when it comes to post covid tourism and the economy? You might be bashful so let me answer for you …NO!

    I hereby rest my case

  41. John2 Avatar
    John2

    Tourism did not bounce back one time after the Great Recession .

    Prior to Covid Barbados was seeing record numbers

    Only a fool would expect post Covid number in 21 or even 22

  42. John A Avatar
    John A

    @ David

    But David it doesn’t have to be a right off if we ramp up vaccinations by including BAMP doctors in the process. We can still save the latter part of the third quarter but we have to move fast! We can’t say oh look how good we are doing for political points, when our major source markets are saying you moving too dam slow. He that holds the purse calls the shots. We don’t have to give up and say well “cuhdear we doing de best we can” when we are paying the price for it in badly needed hard currency.

    Anyhow I going and look for lunch cause nobody I know not bringing me no free pizza today. Lol

  43. David Avatar
    David

    @John A

    Just listened to the news, heard the MOT explaining a new ad campaign just launched. The point here is we need her to present herself to the public to answer some of the concerns you raised.

  44. John A Avatar
    John A

    Yes we need to hear from her quickly on where we are going. The 5 who I listed above that matter, were a part of who got the green light on the 17th and are direct competion for us. Before it wasn’t that big an issue who had the green, but what is happening now is that desirable destinations are now coming onto the list. Not saying before that Iceland might not of been desirable for some mind you !

  45. David Avatar
    David

    Tourism thrust geared to push island’s brand:

    https://barbadostoday.bb/2021/05/20/tourism-thrust-geared-to-push-islands-brand

  46. John A Avatar
    John A

    @David

    That is not the problem all the ads not going help. Take the ad money and bring the private Gps on the vaccination band wagon.

    The green light don’t depend on no dam ad campaign, it depends on among other things, vaccinated percentage of populace. You can not advertise your way out of Amber, if that is the plan it clearly shows they don’t have a clue how to address the challenge.

  47. David Avatar
    David

    @John A

    Logic says an effective AD campaign is part of a strategy. What is the strategy?

  48. John A Avatar
    John A

    The strategy is simple. You have to get off the Amber list by vaccinating over 80 percent of your people completely. In other words both shots administered. That and control over new cases will get you what you want.

    Wait you think from the 18th May the 5 destinations I welcomed had to launch a marketing campaign? No sir Boris did that for them when he said ok you guys are now green.

    What is so difficult for the authorities to understand about that? Lord you mean we got to use blackboard and chalk ?

  49. John A Avatar
    John A

    I mentioned not i welcomed. Dam spell check

  50. David Avatar
    David

    @John A

    Your point is well made. We are definitely planning for 2022.

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