Is it a genuine attempt to regulate the tourist industry, or is it a money grab. Many of the players affected, who are small to medium size operators, believe the latter.
The government is currently introducing the Tourist Accommodation Bill, 2025, and it has provoked a hailstorm of public commentary. The blogmaster suspects that Minister of Tourism Ian Gooding-Edgehill may now regret appearing on Brasstacks last Friday with veteran moderator David Ellis. The calls that came in, many from those directly affected by the proposed legislation, did not hold back. Glaring gaps were exposed. One is left to wonder: is this yet another piece of legislation the government will have to wheel and come again?
The blogmaster has long mused on a troubling pattern. Successive governments seem to find urgency when pushing through legislation that disproportionately affects small players, especially those without the benefit of deep pockets or political connections. Meanwhile, laws that promise transparency and accountability, Freedom of Information, Integrity in Public Office, and other long-promised reform at Licensing Authority and Barbados Revenue Authority for example, remain stuck in draft form, buried in committee or implementation deficit malaise. Why the selective urgency? Who the horse like it licks and kicks those it dislikes.
Why is there no rush to pass legislation that would hold the Barbados Bar Association and the Disciplinary Committee accountable to long suffering clients? What about meaningful support for the Police Complaints Authority? Over a year ago, Commissioner of Police Richard Boyce promised Barbadians an investigation into a slapping incident that occurred on Kadooment Day 2024. A promise some say, is comfort for a fool – see the video.
The blogmaster also recalls the fate of small Black businessmen who pioneered the reconditioned vehicle industry in the 80s. They were forced out of business when government sided with big dealerships and overregulated the sector. The result? Barbadians at the lower end of the economic scale – those who relied on affordable transportation – were the ones left to pay the price.
This is the Barbados we know. A country where legislation is often wielded not as a tool of justice, but as a weapon to exclude. Where the small man is asked to comply, while the big man is allowed to maneuver to hearts content. Until we level the playing field between the Meades and Persians, the cycle will continue.
Here is the Brasstacks podcast to listen to the Minister of Tourism.
The blogmaster invites you to join the discussion.