Submitted by Petko I wish to preface this by stating in no way am I affiliated with or have any financial interest in the tourism or travel industry, as I know what I write below will have people stating I have only written to push a personal financial agenda. The time for Barbados to open her borders completely is now.
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In view of the most recent dramatic changes, due to Covid -19 developments, both at home and overseas, is it time to think again about lifting some, if not all of the taxes and levies imposed on our tourism industry, at least until there is some evidence of recovery? It must be obvious by now that many of our tourism
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After writing this column, almost religiously, every week for over ten years and a tourism specific published contribution for over two decades , the almost overwhelming feeling -under the current pandemic situation with a severe lack of good news -is frankly just to give in and stop until meaningful recovery is in clear sight. But this would of course be
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Traditionally, for years this period between Christmas and New Year the United Kingdom normally experiences the largest level of holiday bookings than at any other time annually. Not this year of course, with our tourism policymakers and planners left to contemplate, what, if anything they can do to bridge the enormous void of visitor arrivals. It is an unprecedented situation
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As we come to the end of another year, for many around the world, probably the most unpredictable of their entire lives, it is perhaps time to reflect, while trying to make sense and possibly attempt to plan for the future. Even after a working lifetime involved in tourism, like so many others, we simply are not sufficiently qualified to
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Just a week away from celebrating our 54th year of independence and probably the very last year that any citizen will be recognized for their outstanding national contribution locally, by being granted (Order of Barbados) Knight (KA) or Dame (DA) status, after Government has decided to remove Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II as head of state and presumably her representative
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The decision made by Virgin Atlantic to re-position their Barbados flights to Heathrow from Gatwick and the recent announcement by British Airways that they will restore a daily flight from London’s first airport from 17th October is a very positive move towards any form of tourism arrival normality from the United Kingdom to our shores, in more ways than one.
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A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about the British Government’s Eat Out to Help Out promotion that initially was being offered on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 3rd through to the 31st August. Almost a week before ‘last orders’ under the offer is due to expire, over 64 million meals have already been served at more than 50,000 restaurants,
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This week’s column marks a personal milestone, 520 weekly or ten years submissions amounting to around 260,000 words and entirely dedicated to a single subject, tourism. The objective was never to suggest that there is any one particular ‘holy grail’ solution to the challenges that continually face the industry, either in good times, let alone the unprecedented demanding current period,
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By the end of this month the British Government will have a somewhat more accurate idea of just how successful their Eat Out to Help Out scheme has been in sustaining businesses and protecting employment. From 3rd until 31st August on every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday (traditionally the quieter dining days), Brits can get a 50 per cent discount, up
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During the last 31 years whilst residing on Barbados and an overall total of 50 years since actively promoting the destination, I have witnessed many Ministers of Tourism come and go. Many, far more informed persons, will judge their individual contribution to the overall betterment of the industry and any lasting legacy they personally have left. I sincerely wish the
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While a handful of hotels on Barbados have been very proactive in reaching out to locals and residents for Staycation options at attractive rates, despite some recent discussion, there appears no national initiative driving this important tactic to help the path of tourism recovery. Perhaps equally discouraging is that our banks and financial institutions seem to be unaware of the
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As the covid-19 outbreak begins to subside and countries start to reopen, the big questions for hoteliers on island destinations are: How will my clients get to the destination? Which airlines will survive and continue to fly and under what conditions? News reports state that clients in major countries no longer trust travel agents/tour operators to book their holidays
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If there has ever been a time when tourism partners sharing the same sub-sector have needed to work together in the national recovery interest, it is now! A couple of weeks ago I suggested to our national marketing agency that a short video be produced from the existing library of incredible images highlighting our amazing choice of restaurants and dining
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We all know the story of Sam Lord. The world’s second oldest known con artist. The first one was William Chaloner (1650 – 1699): A serial counterfeiter and confidence trickster proven guilty by Sir Isaac Newton. Below is a shortened version of his story. Samuel Hall Lord, also called “Sam Lord” (1778 – 5 November 1844) was one of the
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Submitted by Stanton Carter, Brand Caribbean Inc I usually enjoy reading Adrian Loveridge’s column but respectfully did not see any substantive suggestions for a new game to support the Tourism industry in the March 23, 2020 posting. To cut to the chase, the reference to and comments about the September 11th, 2001 disaster, the airlift dependency, the suspended cruise ship
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How much should the BTMI spend on enticing a visitor to Barbados? The answer depends on a number of factors – The country of origin The length of stay The age of the potential visitors The reason for travel (sports, honeymoon, family holidays etc) The average hotel cost in winter/summer. Although visitors from the USA have the shortest stay compared
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If the availability of low cost airfares from across our main markets is any indication, then January and perhaps February should be especially bumper months for our accommodation providers, especially among the lower priced budget offerings. Return flights to Barbados from Gatwick for as little at GB Pounds 269, which is quite remarkable in itself, when you consider this fare
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