Two things occurred which were reported in the press on June 30^th, 2021 that makes one wonder what the vision for the Tourism Industry is and if there is synchronization of the plans and actions in the various departments of Government. First was an article in which it was reported that the Minister of Tourism Lisa Cummins spoke to the workers of the Grantley Adam’s International Airport about branding. Second was the delivery of the Minister in the Ministry of Finance, Ryan Straughn who stated that government had undertaken debt of $ 80 Million of the Needham’s Point Holdings Ltd which operates the Hilton Barbados Hotel by issuing a new series of B Bonds to bondholders.

These 2 seemingly unrelated occurrences makes one question the leadership at the Ministry of Tourism and the action of Mr. Straughn with regards of the plans for the industry if one takes it as a given that a vision is translated into measurable plans of action or a roadmap to achieve desired goals.

Related Links:

• Protect Barbados’ brand at airport, minister urges
• Minister Straughn says hotel’s debt ‘restructured’

What are the objectives of the Ministry of Tourism?

Having not seen the written plans of the Ministry of Tourism, there is that degree of difficulty to state the current purpose of that entity. No one knows the purpose of the tourism industry in Barbados as its objectives or goals are not listed on the website which is shared with the Ministry of International Transport. Only the purpose of the Ministry of International Transport is listed.

The vision that should be listed on the Website should be nothing less than to eradicate poverty by a specific date. Tourism should be of service to the people of Barbados and the development of the island, otherwise what is its purpose?

The number one revenue earner in Barbados is tourism. It must serve some development goal of Barbados. Poverty eradication must be the number one development goal of Barbados. Tourism is best fitted as a tool of development to eradicate poverty in Barbados. Some persons believe that poverty cannot be eradicated. Nelson Mandela stated “Poverty is not an accident. Like slavery and apartheid, it is man-made and can be removed by the actions of human beings.”

With the amount of money that has been earned in Barbados since the late 70’s, there should be no poverty here. A portion of the earnings for tourism must be used to eradicate poverty and the Unit which falls under the Prime Minister’s office should be moved to the Ministry of Tourism. One must agree that the poor housing stock of the lower classes in Barbados is a direct result of poverty and we must set out to change this as climate change may bring hurricanes to our shores each year.

International tourism receipts are expenditures by international inbound visitors, including payments to national carriers for international transport. These receipts include any other prepayment made for goods or services received in the destination country. They also may include receipts from same-day visitors, except when these are important enough to justify separate classification. For some countries they do not include receipts for passenger transport items. Data is in current U.S. dollars.

Government Contracts can be used to eradicate Poverty.

Despite the focus on tourism, the Government of Barbados also has a major role to play in poverty eradication. Its current policy of awarding contracts to a select few Barbadians has perpetrated the existence of the very wealthy and poverty. If wealth can be created by the government awarding of its contracts, then poverty can be eradicated using the system to award the contracts to a company that is owned by the people.

The Barbados Brand

On 30^th June, the Minister was reported as asking the workers of the Grantley Adams International Airport to “protect it as a brand of excellence and world class hospitality.” However, all the talk about a branding exercise and creating a new slogan, and now asking persons to protect a brand is meaningless if the intent is not to be translated into a physical component and its use to assist in the development of Barbados.

If Barbados really is a brand as is constantly touted and not just a travel destination, isn’t it time for us to see hotels and other establishments in Barbados bearing the name the Barbados Brand. Isn’t it time that we see the translation from nebulous concepts and costly slogans which have nothing to do with reality in Barbados?

The Hilton brand was started in 1969. Commercial tourism in Barbados predates 1887 when the Crane Hotel was built. Isn’t it time to have a physical brand on the ground?

Perhaps the best action in term of branding would be to relieve the contract holders of the Hilton Hotel, and brand that along with several of the smaller hotels, B&B’s and guest houses as the Barbados Brand. This is where one can view the services of the Pom Marine coming into play by standardizing the training of these establishments under one umbrella which defines the physical brand. There would be no need for the government of Barbados to pay the Hilton Hotel for the use of its name.

To the Minister of Economic Affairs, does the signed contract between the government and the company which runs the Hilton Hotel align with the actions that you have taken? Needham’s Point Ltd. had 10 years to get their act together and now you have given them 10 more years to reap super profits off the backs of the taxpayers in Barbados. Clearly this decision was not well thought out and it is certainly not an expression of confidence in developing a physical Barbados brand hotel. You should have made the agreement null and void and together with the Minister of Tourism begin the conceptualization of the Barbados brand hotels. What occurred is not good stewardship.

To the Minister of Tourism, there is work to be done! When will you start?

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 businesses are not going to survive a further prolonged period without some sort of meaningful inducement or relief. Despite all the challenges to the private sector in terms of employment there still remains a large number of salaried people who apparently have little or no possibility of losing their jobs or experiencing lower incomes or reduced working hours, notably public workers.

A reduction in airline taxes was promised several months ago, but so far the secondary added US$35 for flights within Caricom and US$70 for all other destinations is still applied.

A bevy of ‘replacement’ airlines were canvassed and persuaded to introduce Barbados flights on the basis of these assurances, which only subsequently to led to a reduction of planned services, due to the still high intra-Caribbean fares and reduced demand.

Long haul airlines have launched attractive sale prices for early 2021 which means that you can fly from London to Barbados for as little as GB Pounds 324 return for the lowest economy class ticket, but still well over half of that figure is taken up in Government taxes.

As and when travel restrictions are lifted in the United Kingdom and other major markets, inevitably there will be pent up demand, but clearly this is going to be price driven, at least during the initial booking stages.

Of course, Government desperately needs revenue to pay for what many consider a massive oversized civil service, plus its loan and other obligations, but most of us realize that it will be printing money for years to come to cover the true cost of the pandemic. Surely it is better to ensure that our remaining tourism industry is in a fit state to be sufficiently operational when recovery starts to take place?

It is not of course the tourism players who benefit from the lowering or removal of VAT, room and other levies, but the actual consumer.

Some of our hotels and other accommodation offerings have been very proactive with promoting staycations, but is that going to be enough to pay their bills, at least for the next six months?

Ultimately, any Government can only extract taxes in so many ways.

If that means the ultimate point- of-sale cost ceases to be globally competitive, then if those taxes cannot be collected from locals or overseas visitors, it will be forced to find alternative borrowing sources.

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 defeatist and pander to an increasingly vocal minority that has for some time preached that we, as a country, have become too dependent on a single sector, while albeit at the same time, proffering no viable alternative.

In their own way though, they have a point and perhaps successive Governments have not placed sufficient priority into ensuring that all other arms of our economy were carried along by tourism and its incredible contribution to the building of our country.

Has the time finally come to better evaluate exactly how we can practically involve more people, goods and services to redress this disproportionate imbalance?

Without wishing to harp on what may appear a microscopic and at first perceived inconsequential tiny issue, I would like to return to the subject of serving imported bottled water at Government convened media conferences, which for me highlighted the need to dramatically increase the use of local products where practical.

During my nearly 60 years involved in tourism, what has stood out above all other observations, from the time while working as a humble demi-chef du rang or trainee waiter in one of Britain’s oldest hotels, to finally fulfilling a lifetimes dream into co-owning and managing a boutique hotel, was attention to detail.

A simple example is that certainly in my experience working across more than 70 countries, you could often tell if a particular hotel had a female manager, just by the display of fresh flowers in public places of the property like washrooms. This is not in anyway intended to be sexiest, just that a good manager instinctively knows what impresses their guests of any gender or disposition.

In our very early days on Barbados, I readily accepted that my wife would be a much better hotel manager than I could ever be, in almost every respect. Her degree of attention to detail, empathy to staff and guests, was way above anything that I could ever consistently achieve and it was born-out by the highest possible level of those returning to stay.

And currently, whatever your political leanings or gender preferences, is it now finally the time for our current national leader, together with her team to take the bold step in ensuring there are more tangible mutually advantageous partnerships between all sectors of our economy and reduce the reliance on foreign exchange requirements?

Or do we choose to ignore, during this uniquely challenging period in our history, by failing to address the obvious disparity between our largest industry and its need for goods, services and supplies?

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 and for those who stand on the side and criticize, proffering what they think could be done, are only frankly second guessing a clearly almost impossible and unpredictable scenario.

What I understand the current guardians of our industry are successfully doing is maintaining the highest possible destination visibility with initiatives like the Welcome Stamp, visits by travel writers, travel agents and the incredible centenarian, Captain Sir Tom Moore, all naturally under carefully managed pandemic compliant conditions.

While, it may seem very optimistic given the current circumstances, I am still going to have a wish list for 2021.

As we emerge from the pandemic, there will be opportunities and some of these may come from those airlines that have survived, downsized and retired their larger, less fuel efficient aircraft. New aircraft like the incredible Airbus A321XLR will come into service and enable long haul routes from various European cities to operate planes which carry around 200 passengers, economically on non-stop services to the Caribbean.

Routes like Dublin or Belfast to Barbados then become less of a risk and given a massive price advantage by not having APD (Advanced Passenger Duty) imposed on the fares, saving at least UK Pounds 80 per passenger in the case of Northern Ireland.

Locally, I believe that a great more could be done with developing smart partnerships between all sectors across tourism and those companies who supply them together with our seemingly reluctant banking sector. As one of the persons deeply involved in creating the first fully functional small hotel alliance, it has been hugely disappointing not to witness more co-operation in this sub-sector, by developing joint promotional initiatives and driving cost savings through collaboration.

And as the cruise industry finally resumes sailings from the Caribbean, perhaps not until the very latter part of 2021, let us look objectively at exactly where we can truly benefit from this sector and justify the investment we have already placed in it.

As always, my thoughts go out to all the dedicated tourism workers and managers that are still employed and have sacrificed their quality family time over this festive period, to give our cherished visitors that holiday of a lifetime.

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 proffer potential solutions post pandemic, but there are past experiences which tell us that until ‘we’ as a nation find any viable alternatives, that it will largely remain the ‘only game in town’.

Looking back 32 years, we can only admit to being extremely naïve when purchasing a closed semi-derelict small hotel on what was perhaps considered then, as one of the less desirable coastlines of the island.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing of course and despite all the odds including a barrage of bureaucracy (that continues to exist three decades later), uncooperative banks, who often simply did not understand what it takes to make businesses work, merchant traders and suppliers not willing to take any credit risks, we grew the business while contributing around $50 million to the local economy, directly or indirectly.

During that time, we employed people, paid their NIS and met every single Government tax and imposition, despite still being owed tens of thousands of confirmed VAT refunds, dating back from as late as 2013.

Was it easy? Absolutely not!

But if you have a vision that you share with a partner, believe in what you are doing and preparing to work 17 hours a day, seven days a week, then ‘success’, in whatever form you consider that word applicable, is possible.

As we now look on under the new owners and their extensive commitment to massive renovations, which have been underway for weeks, we have no doubt they will take the former Peach and Quiet to another level and build on any ‘success’ that we might have achieved in the past.

Clearly acceptable standards and guest expectations change over the years and our former small hotel reaching almost 50 years since construction, desperately needed upgrading.

The new owners with three generations of proven hand-on hotel ownership and management share our vision and have the sheer determination to ensure the re-named property once again reaches the award winning boutique hotel status we enjoyed.

Personally I have no doubt that our tourism sector will rebound and that we will learn valuable lessons from the pandemic.

What will be absolutely critical to its recovery is that those who have the vision and drive to invest in times like this are given all the support and encouragement to ensure this happens.

It is time for some of our banks to revisit their purpose and for our army of civil servants to carefully evaluate how they can contribute to the national interest.

From our personal experience, there are always notable exceptions to the ‘norm’ and our sincere thanks go out to the incredibly positive response we received from all involved recently at the Central Bank of Barbados.

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 here.

Considering the massive transformational effect tourism has made in the development of the country over the last five decades, some may find it surprising that not a single person within the industry, over that period, has been sufficiently identified and chosen to receive the highest honour, unlike in some other neighbouring islands.

Perhaps it reflects the often expressed general cynicism directed at the sector, that each and every hotelier is a money grabbing, subsidy opportunist, extracting limitless concessions and who expects Government to constantly bail them out, even when even tiniest challenge is put in their way.

While this may be vaguely true for a tiny number of chosen few, as a former small hotelier, operating for over 25 years, I can tell you that perception is so far from reality that it bears absolutely no actual creditability at all, for the vast majority of us.

I graphically recall our very first attempt to bring in ‘duty-free’ a special paint for extreme salt spray exposed surfaces. The duties and charges levied locally were more than twice the cost of the goods and shipping. Despite that, we paid the taxes in full, only to discover when collecting the paint from a ‘secure’ customs bond, that more than a third of the product had been stolen. When then asking if we could amend our duty payment to the revised amount of goods received, we were told NO and that we had to apply for a refund which in the words of the then comptroller, could take up to between one and two years.

After, that early experience, we virtually gave up on even going through the motions of attempting to buy ‘duty-free’ items for the hotel, as the barrage of obstacles placed in our way, were just too tedious and mentally overpowering to surmount.

Returning to the point of this column, I hope that one day that some of the very many dedicated professionals, at every level, will be recognised for their tireless efforts, once again.  Not limited to only those promoting Barbados tourism, but fully embracing everyone who provides personal service delivery, to each and every guest.

As and when the pandemic issue is resolved, it is going to be even more critical to the sector’s recovery that ‘we’ provide the very best welcome to both returning and first time visitors. As a country, when we continually fail to value the selfless contribution made by so many, we are losing track and the purpose of what makes tourism and a destination successful.

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 17^th 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.

The airport is currently undergoing trials involving ‘three systems of outbound Covid-19 testing including a nasal or throat swab test which provides results in 30 minutes, a saliva test which gives a visual result in 10 minutes and a self- administered test that works within 30 seconds’.

These are in addition to the airport’s paid-for inbound testing facility, which is awaiting British Government’s clearance.

According to an airport spokesperson ‘the long-term aim of the trial is to understand whether these tests could be quickly and efficiently conducted on large numbers of people outside of a laboratory setting and to ensure they are accurate enough to be delivered in an airport environment’.

Heathrow’s Chief Executive Officer, John Holland-Kaye added ‘if we can find a test that is accurate, gets results within a matter of minutes, is cost-effective and gets the government green light, we could have the potential to introduce wide-scale testing at the airport’.

Another major plus for Heathrow is the rapidly improving train links.

Our policymakers often overlook that for the vast majority of our visitors, their journey does not start at the airport. They have to get there first, often leaving home close to the dead-of-night to allow for reasonable check-in and security time, in many cases.

While the massive Crossrail project has been further delayed, new type 345 trains with nine carriages that are fully air-conditioned are already fully operational from all the functioning Heathrow terminals, with up to 9 trains per hour to/from Central London and major connecting train terminals and beyond.

The increased capacity, frequency and enhanced ventilation will substantially improve the possibility of effective social distancing and further reduce the fear of virus infection.

A third compelling reason why Heathrow outshines way above other British airports is connectivity, both from an internal domestic UK and worldwide perspective.

Certainly up until the end of 2019, according to OAG (Official Airline Guide), a leading global travel data provider, the Heathrow mega hub was the world’s most internationally connected airport for the third straight year.

‘On the busiest day in aviation during that year an incredible 65,000 connections were possible within a six hour window’.

Frankfurt was second, followed by Chicago O’Hare, Amsterdam and Munich, in that order.

This gives us the strongest possibility of enticing continental Europeans onto seamless connections to both British Airways B777 -200 and Virgin Atlantic’s B787-9 Dreamliner nonstop flights to Barbados.

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 3^rd until 31^st August on every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday (traditionally the quieter dining days), Brits can get a 50 per cent discount, up to a maximum of GB Pounds 10 per person, when you eat-in at one of the over 83,000 restaurants that have so far registered.

Usage does not require a voucher, can be used as many times as you like and is combinable with other available offers and discounts.

There is no minimum spend.

The discount cannot be claimed on alcoholic drinks or service charges and is automatically available at all participating establishments, which include restaurants, cafes, pubs, food halls, work and school canteens, who in-turn are reimbursed by the Government.

Consumers can easily find those that have already signed-up, within a 5 mile radius of their residence, simply by entering their postcode.

The United Kingdom HM Revenue and Customs stated that it had received over 10.5 million claims under the scheme up until 9^th August with the average claim for around GB Pounds 5, which would until this date, bring the cost of this initiative to around GB Pounds 50 million.

British Chancellor Rishi Sunak reported ‘the scheme has served a huge 25 per cent increase in people going out’ and that GB Pounds 500 million has been put aside to pick up the bills for diners who patronize restaurants during the 13 eligible days in August.

This following the slashing of VAT rates from 20 to 5 per cent for all hospitality and tourism businesses until 12^th January 2021.

Over 90 of the leading restaurant chains throughout the UK have signed up to offer this deal with most of the major brand names, applying substantial resources to ensure public awareness.

Will Beckett, co-founder of the Hawksmoor steakhouse group reported ‘that six of his restaurants had received a combined 15,000 bookings for the 13 days’ period.

Our policymakers have resisted so far, any obvious attempt to stimulate domestic tourism, for whatever reason.

Perhaps it is time to rethink this approach?

September, ‘normally’ one of the most challenging months of the year is just days away, while we continue to experience an increasing number of our restaurants announcing permanent closure.

For many of them it is truly heartbreaking, having spent in some cases decades, building their business.

From feedback, those closing mostly admit they can no longer sustain survival locally, citing the inability to continue paying rent, utility bills, land taxes or await further delays in the repayment of outstanding VAT refunds.

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 new Minister all the very best in the world during these unprecedented challenging times and let no-one labour under the illusion that any single person can remedy or return our tourism offerings to anything close to normality in the short term.

For me, two past Minister of Tourism’s stand out in the crowd, the late Sir Harold St. John and Peter Morgan. For the simple reason, that they both had the amazing ability of patience to listen to all persons, at every level, within the industry. This did not necessarily translate that they would incorporate ideas proffered by those people, but the mere fact they felt included, made all the difference.

They both also returned phone calls and/or messages, leaving even the seemingly lowest level of tourism worker feeling that their contribution was important. I earnestly hope that this level of response returns to the Ministry of Tourism, especially now that it probably has the largest number of staff employed during its entire history.

When in 1989 we purchased the then derelict Arawak Inn, Sir Harold was a frequent visitor, giving us incredible encouragement, even at a time when his family’s property was a direct competitor located just half-a-mile away. Since then, Ministerial visits have been a rarity.

Over the last few years the lodging economic landscape has dramatically changed with the two largest hotel groupings now being foreign owned. This will of course significantly affect how they both respond to the current Covid-19 pandemic, being able to source capital offshore at considerably more competitive interest rates to assist them through the recovery period.

Our indigenous hotels and other accommodation providers on the other hand, will have to continue their battle with the banks authorized to operate on-island, subject to existing lending terms, which are almost impossible to meet during current times.

We too, also have to realize that there are certain integral component parts of tourism that cannot be directly controlled, like airlift. Until infection numbers substantially reduce in our key markets and people regain the confidence to travel, we can only implement policies that re-assure any potential visitors, that everything possible to protect them locally, has been put in place.

While Government has done an extraordinary job in limiting the local damage of Coronavirus, we are still fighting the perception of risk, compounded by the economic realities of higher unemployment and depleted earned incomes from our source markets.

Other countries have turned to stimulating domestic tourism to partially soften the blow and mitigate the loss of jobs. ‘We’ have so far chosen not to and time will tell if this was a wise decision.

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 options.

The ‘theme’ would be ‘Did you miss us?’

The video could be aired, without any significant cost, through all available social media outlets and travel partners, to remind both locals, second home owners, together with returning visitors of what we have been capable of providing, year after year, under ‘normal’ circumstances.

A similar exercise may easily be done with our car rental suppliers without necessarily giving prominence to the merits of any particular company.

Most renters do not, of course, base their booking decision on the make or model of vehicle, but what the car can offer them in flexibility to explore the island, visit attractions, activities and sample the myriad of eating out choices and equally important, providing added value and experiences.

Several years ago we persuaded, for the first time ever, three of the largest villa rental agencies to jointly create a full page ‘ad’ that was placed in one of the leading travel magazines. The individual cost to each company for exclusive sole participation was difficult to justify, but collectively sharing the expense three ways, made it a whole different story, giving readers previously unknown choices, as whom to contact and search for their chosen property.

While highly targeted strictly print advertisements have fallen out of favour against the more recent electronic media alternatives, I still believe it can play a critical part in overall marketing, especially if carefully monitored for response and cost-effectiveness.

We also used this concept to launch the first fully functional small hotel group called Barbados Treasures. Each of the original five member hotels offered an identically priced package that included reduced rate car rental, a choice of attractions and an out-of-hotel dinner option. It became one of the best-selling offers available at that time and significantly increased average occupancy in each of the partner properties.

There are countless other examples of why working together makes economic sense, while building awareness of the destination and growing each participating business. It just takes resolve and commitment from sufficient big-picture people with a common objective to make the idea work.

One thing for sure, as tourism recovery inevitably takes place, despite the naysaying utterings of the pundits and doubters, every industry provider will be vying to seek out what they perceive as their fair market share. They will then be faced with attempts to do this alone in isolation, or learning to work as a team, to greatly increase the likelihood of overall success.

Submitted by Andrew Nehaul

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 most famous buccaneers on the island of Barbados. Sam Lord as he was usually known, amassed great wealth for his castle-mansion in Barbados. He did this through the direct plundering of ships stranded in the coral reefs just off the coast of his estate.

According to legend, Sam Lord would hang lanterns high in the coconut trees around his estate. Passing ships far out at sea would think it was the port city of Bridgetown and would sail towards the reef in the area, leading them to wreck their ships. Sam Lord would then board the ships and keep the riches for his castle, which stood in the parish of Saint Philip. [Source Wikipedia]

More specific info here: http://www.bcc.edu.bb/Divisions/FineArts/SamuelHallLord.aspx

I submit that we can we take this historical fact and expand upon it. In other words why not create a viable interest in travelling to Barbados to find Sam Lord’s treasure?

We can stimulate attention on social media by suggesting that the treasure has never been found and as the old castle is being renovated, now is the time to come and explore the island and look for it before it disappears. An app can be designed that gives clues to the treasure and visitors can travel around the island looking for it. On downloading and registering, the app will give participants a clue which will give directions to a possible location. When they find this location, the site will have a GPS locator which will register in the app and will then unlock a new clue. Note that the person must stand exactly in a specific location to get the app to unlock.

After the first location is registered it gives the participants a souvenir or drink (sponsored). To cut a long story short, the clues should be tough and the maximum number of clues should be no more than 10. The prize (treasure) should be USD 25.000 (any eventual taxes to be paid by the participants). Once found, the next time that it is run, the prize should be USD 35.000. The time after USD 45.000 etc

Some things to consider.

No other island had Sam Lord. As he was unique to Barbados. Let us use him to our benefit.

As this will be based on wideband usage, a smart phone will be necessary and there will be a fee to register. This fee will include a local SIM card with XXX data.

A sponsored digital map should be created (open for all) showing locations of bars, rum shops, restaurants in each parish that provide food/drink, clean restrooms, parking and free WiFi. These locations should be encouraged to niche what they offer clients. For example 3 of them may specialize on fish/seafood. 3 others on local Bajan food with panache while others on local sweets and/or bakery products.

Spin off high end souvenirs with a Sam Lord’s treasure logo should be created like – brass lanterns, smart phone cases, golf head covers, ceramic place settings etc

I am certain that the island has many creative persons who can run with this and make the concept even better.

Submitted by Andrew Nehaul

How much should the BTMI spend on enticing a visitor to Barbados? The answer depends on a number of factors –

1. The country of origin
2. The length of stay
3. The age of the potential visitors
4. The reason for travel (sports, honeymoon, family holidays etc)
5. The average hotel cost in winter/summer.

Although visitors from the USA have the shortest stay compared to those from the UK & Europe, I am sure that due to the high media cost in the USA, the money spent to attract visitors must be on par with Europe.

In 1986 the BTA had a policy of a maximum cost of USD10 per visitor. This was presumably due to the budget they had at the time as the major markets to Barbados were from  the UK, Germany, The USA & The Caribbean.

Some years ago, the BTA in their wisdom and under the guidance of David Rice they allegedly paid a marketing cost in excess of USD1000/person for a charter from Scandinavia. Looking back, this decision seemed to be more political than feasible as glowing talk of a new charter was pronounced after the ITB.

It is high time that the BTMI become more transparent in its worldwide marketing activities. Not only what they intend to do but where and why. Also, the arrival card should be abolished and instead provided to visitors online for completion similar to Aruba https://www.aruba.com/us/plan-your-visit/getting-to-aruba/online-ed-card. This will give all and sundry a real time access to visitor information that can be used for focused marketing programs.

I now want to suggest that the BTMI become the Caribbean’s Tourism social marketing ninja.

To do this they should immediately activate a social media department based in Barbados. This department should be staffed by persons who not only are first-class at using Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and other forms of digital media but also at writing relevant short copy and be creative enough to get the attention of the target market. No sitting in an office! They should be responsible enough to travel the length and breadth of the island daily to find stories to share immediately via a smart phone. (I hope that this does not turn into a scenario where their stories must be sent to a  boss who has to approve them first and takes a week or two to do so)

The need for these Bajan media rock stars are to entice visitors to Barbados. Anything they produce MUST have excellent pictures which portray the best sides of Barbados – from food to beaches, sport, water activities etc

Some concepts they can use:

• Interviews with persons at the conference center to send info on Barbados as a conference/incentive destination.
• Short videos of turtles for an eko friendly base.
• Beaches, beaches, beaches
• Video interviews of hotel staff/concierge tell all about what the island has to offer.
• Concepts to encourage health tourism.
• Polo, golf, tennis + + +
• Positive interviews with cruise visitors.
• and  101 more I could share

I suggest that this would work better if they bought some photos or video from local photographers instead of having their own. I say this as each photographer has their own eye and slant on the visual. Therefore having a great choice of photos to choose from is best.

Finally, visitors should be encouraged to post on their own social media platforms while on the island and incentives for this should be offered to them.

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 includes the British Advanced Passenger Duty (APD) of GB Pounds 78 and our combined two departure taxes of US$97.50 or about GB Pounds 75. And these flights are operated with modern state-of-the-art aircraft like the B787 Dreamliner.

But it is not just in the United Kingdom market.

Air Canada has been aggressively advertising sale fares with one way flights starting from under CAD$223 from Toronto and Montreal CAD$209.

American Airlines have introduced special AAdvantage options requiring as low as 8,000 miles for a flight from Miami to Barbados plus US$7.10 in taxes. The lowest requirement I have seen in my 30 plus years of membership.

This in itself, has opened up alternate non-direct flights using carriers like Norwegian Airlines from Gatwick to Miami and connecting with American for as little as GB Pounds 110 per entire one way journey.  This also gives passengers the option to break their journey in the United States to take full benefit of cheaper shopping possibilities, further offsetting the overall expense.

Continental Europe has also not been left out with the direct nonstop flights with Eurowings from Frankfurt airport. But there still remain options with Condor via Grenada for as little as Euro 460 return or around US$510.

While perhaps our tourism planners have understandable allegiance to existing legacy carriers which currently service us, perhaps partially justified by marketing support, there is no doubt a significant market for these flight bargains exist.

This includes our second home visitors, allowing them additional holiday opportunities or the possibility of passing their accommodation usage onto family or friends.

After all, apart from the deterrent taxes our Government imposes on air travel, they extract no further levy collection, unless those savvy travellers actually stay on-island; eat in our restaurants; rent cars; shop and visit attractions and activities.

So it is entirely in our national tourism interests to get people here in the most affordable way that we can and to encourage them to make multiple visits.

The spectacular collapse of the Thomas Cook Group late last year has perhaps highlighted that no longer can the travel industry do business as usual, whether it’s in the United Kingdom or elsewhere and that our cherished visitors are far more aware of the booking options available.

Many are looking for creative ways to combat or offset our increasingly high prices and the lingering effects of currency exchange.

Unless we fully wake up to the realities of this situation, then it is almost inevitable that we will lose market share to those destinations far more willing to adapt. While at this time of the year, it is easy to accept that climatic conditions in our northern markets largely help drive arrival numbers, we should remain fully cognizant, that 4 or 5 months revenue does not pay a year of bills.

What would the first column of a new year be without including a tourism wish list?

And not necessarily in any order of priority or potential realization!

As Air Canada prepares to roll-out publicly, its first new re-branded Airbus A220-300 airplane, number one of 45 on order, exciting opportunities present themselves, especially within the Caribbean.

This ‘incredibly fuel efficient’ aircraft is capable of flying nonstop some 3,200 nautical miles (5,020k), but with a capacity of just 137 passengers in two classes, boasting the widest economy seats in their entire fleet.

There isn’t anybody on this planet that can ever convince me that we are unable to fill at least one of these planes, once a week with a direct service from Ottawa.

In fact, if historical arrival data is studied, my guess is that we already welcome around 100 plus people travelling from Ottawa weekly to Barbados, at least during the winter, but currently being compelled to connect through Toronto or Montreal.

We should also look carefully at the demographics of these visitors from the Canadian capital and evaluate the difference a direct flight could make.  While, at the same time, research other airlines that already have, or plan to add the A220 to their fleet,

Chicago, Minneapolis and Winnipeg should be considered with a flying time of around 6 hours one-way, or utilization of 12-14 hours in any given 24 hours, which is an important economic consideration for a small plane. Enticing additional visitors from areas with extended winters is critical, if we wish to improve our annual average accommodation occupancy.

Staying with airlift, we desperately need to refocus on the Scandinavian market, before it is lost, forever possibly.

With the current costs associated with running any tourism enterprise on Barbados, it is clearly obvious, that we cannot seriously compete in mass tourism, so we have to better target, where our visitors live and their ability to book and travel to perceived iconic destinations.

Whatever, ultimately happens with Scotland remaining part of the post- Brexit United Kingdom, there is certainly the negotiated possibility of non-APD (Advance Passenger Duty) taxed flights departing from Scottish airports at considerable savings to passengers.

From media reports, the Scottish Passenger Agents Association has already discussed the possibility of restoring Glasgow flights with our tourism planners.

Secondly, as someone who has been deeply involved in the sale of a hotel over the last couple of years, it has become abundantly clear to me, that our overall investment climate needs a radical overhaul.

Currently for potential new investors, whether local or overseas, it is far too complicated, restrictive and fragmented.

It is not solely down to the public sector and the inevitable delays in securing basic information and documentation, but our banks and legal fraternity has to share part of the blame as well.

While past Government’s may have put accepted criteria in place for investment and repatriation of registered funds, it is clear that these conditions and minor concessions are not widely understood by the many and diverse ministries and their employees involved in completing any process.

For years, I have called for a one-stop investment shop, where any would-be investor can extract all the necessary documentation and information under one simple online roof.

We have to decide whether or not, tourism is our business and if further private sector involvement is an integral part of our eventual economic recovery.

The sooner this happens, the closer we will be to making this a tangible reality.

As we prepare to enter another new year, Christmas and the festive season gives way to traditionally the busiest holiday booking period in many of our major markets, notably the United Kingdom.

I would like to designate 2020 as the Year of Opportunity. With a new head of our national tourism marketing agency shortly in place, perhaps we could use these next months to better evaluate where we are missing potential opportunities, which can be turned into increased arrival numbers, extended length of stay and higher individual visitor spend.

Yes! There are those who believe that the majority of our guests stay in high end hotels and villas, but the reality is quite different.

Despite, the introduction of the last few years of over 550 rooms across two properties, who now boast annual occupancy levels of 90 plus percent, our total registered hotel room stock, struggles to achieve a yearly average occupancy of 67 per cent.

This is even more concerning, as recently released figures indicated that we are claiming record numbers of long stay visitors.

So the only logical conclusion is that there has been an even higher growth in the alternative lodging sector than either anticipated, or in fact, planned for in terms of marketing and licensing. It follows that this market is far more likely to look for travel bargains to reach us and they are out there if a little research is undertaken.

As an example, the current Virgin Atlantic sale is offering return flights from Gatwick to Barbados for as low at GB Pounds 407 including all taxes, even in peak months like March. Quite remarkable, in itself, when you consider the taxes and add-ons on that fare alone are GB Pounds 171.02 per ticket.

Book through bonus benefit websites, like TopCashBack, and you can get another GB Pounds 7.50 off.  I was also able to book an overnight room at a large chain hotel within sight of Gatwick Airport at just over GB Pounds 18, for certain nights of the week.

And for the more adventurous, who maybe want to break their journey in the United States for shopping or sightseeing, can fly one way with Norwegian Airlines from Gatwick to Miami at GB Pounds 160 and then use miles on American Airlines for as little as 8,000 miles and taxes of US$7.10 from Miami to Barbados. Obviously these are the lowest fares available with certain luggage and other restrictions, but as they say ‘the price is right’.

While Barbados is continually perceived as a high cost destination, it is only in our interests to ensure that every potential visitor has the greatest choice of reaching us at the most affordable fares.

While we extract some of the highest airport departure taxes payable within the Caribbean, the real benefit is gleaned to Government from the taxes, VAT and levies paid on accommodation, car rental, dining experiences, shopping, attractions and activities and surely that should be where we concentrate our efforts on getting them here?

During the 30 plus years my wife and I have lived on Barbados we have tried to take at least a couple of short breaks within the region or locally each year.

Having chaired, and or sat, on various tourism committees over those three decades and being a frequent commentator on the sector, I have always felt obliged to know as much about our tourism offerings as possible.  And frankly, despite our combined work experience, neither of us has ever had any illusions that we cannot learn from others in the business and during that process, improve our own product.

Sadly, taxation imposed by consecutive Governments has now made flying within the Caribbean almost inhibitive, except for those with deep pockets, or having their travel paid for by companies or the state via the taxpayer.

As someone who has championed intra-regional travel for nearly 40 years, even before our re-DISCOVER initiative was launched, shortly after the tragic events of 911, it is soul destroying, knowing that as a direct result on ‘sky high’ airfares it has dramatically and negatively impacted average hotel room occupancy, especially in the softer summer months.

The current policy thinking appears to build more and more hotels up to 15 floors high, when we cannot even finish the ones that have been started, but now lay idle. The quoted $84 million said to have been ploughed into Sam Lords Castle and the promised five diamond 450 room Wyndham Grand Resort are glaring examples.

Imagine, just for a moment if that figure of $84 million is vaguely creditable, what could have been achieved, if spent creatively and cost-effectively marketing Barbados and filling the thousands of empty rooms we have across the island currently.

Of course, if our politicians were spending their own monies, very few of these gross errors of ‘judgment’ would occur, but while a relentless pouring tap of taxpayers monies are easily available, the status quo seems unavoidable.

We do not have to travel far to see proof of this theory.

After that infamous statement ‘If we had to be perfectly honest, St. Lucia is at least 30 years behind Barbados, in terms of tourism – that’s the reality’, publicly uttered by someone who should have known the truth.

Yet in 2017, according to Statista (the recognized expert statistics portal), revenue generated by that country’s hospitality sector reached US$801 million.  Putting that in perspective, St. Lucia, with less rooms and airlift, generated within one fifth of the total recorded by Barbados (US$1.08 billion) for the same year.

My hope is that either the tourism trade association (BHTA) or an independent and authoritative body will commission a study to evaluate what a 10 percent increase annually in average room occupancy would produce in terms of profitably and overall revenue collection for both the private and public (taxation) sector.

What practical measures could we implement to help negate the consequence of the falling value of Sterling and make Barbados more affordable for our existing and potential British visitors?

My thoughts are, that we have to think way beyond the very basics, like flights and accommodation and look for smart partnerships which will bring the overall cost of the holiday down significantly.

For our locally based tourism providers, it is perhaps easy to forget that for most of our arriving passengers, their overall experience starts with a journey to the airport by car or train, and often includes pre or post flight hotel accommodation and long term parking. These and other areas like preferential currency exchange and the choice of how to pay for these services, could through alliances, provide significant savings for our visitors.

By negotiating volume rates with specific hotels and parking options and tying this in with a named credit or debit card which offers cash back, is a win-win option. Gatwick, Heathrow and Manchester airports are incredibly well served by trains and with one of the various RailCards, available for a small annual fee, savings of over 30 per cent for adults and 60 per cent for children.

By working with existing highly successful online marketing companies like Groupon, TopCashBack and Loco2, further substantial savings are possible, reducing the overall bottom line expense.

In 2014, Groupon boasted they had over 48 million active customers across 48 countries spending more than US$7.6 billion during that year. TopCashBack partners with over 4,000 merchants where registered users can obtain significant discounts in the way of returning cash rewards on everyday purchases across a huge range of goods and services.

Loco2, now a subsidiary of the French railway giant, voyages-SNCF, is an integrated booking engine, incorporating train franchises throughout the United Kingdom and Europe, supplying the most competitive fares and journey options. They are one of the few such entities to offer an introductory bonus, which allows both those recommending the company and new users to receive a meaningful discount on their first ticket purchase.

Naturally the airfare is one of the largest component costs of the holiday and our more independent travellers are increasingly ‘shopping around’ for more competitive choices by using websites like Google Flights which gives all the options and a very useful ‘price grid’ which helps identify particular days of travel which are less expensive.

Again by choosing to link through TopCashBack, both Virgin Atlantic and Thomas Cook Airlines offer a rebate on total ticket price.

While we may remain a largely tour operator driven destination that has a small number of brand name properties, the larger hotel groups worldwide are aggressively concentrating on attracting online direct bookings by guaranteeing the lowest possible room rate. They have found that this increases guest loyalty while reducing the dependency on intermediate booking agencies and the substantial commission they extract.

This trend will almost certainly continue, with the more innovative hotel groups further strengthening that brand allegiance by probably offering ‘free night’ stays to be taken at a later date based on completed stays. Of course there is a great deal more that ‘we’ can do, but the longer we delay, the risk is that our competitors will inevitably seize the moment.

The peak winter season is over.

Ahead of us are eight long softer summer months and every creative fibre throughout our national body should now go into hyperdrive to help maximize our tourism potential until December.

We need our food and wine distributors to become more ardent and see how better they can work with our hospitality industry to jointly enhance value and variety on offer. Perhaps this could be done in concert with the many countries we enjoy diplomatic relations with like Canada, the European Union, Argentina, Chile, South Africa, New Zealand and Australia, who all produce wine and may have a desirable product that we can include in our culinary offerings. I know some time ago the Argentinian Ambassador was proactive in this area, highlighting their incredible regional wine producing areas.

Our banks, already knowing there are vast amounts of untapped savings out there acquiring little or no interest, have to play a much greater part with incentives like cash back on credit and debit card tourism purchases. Monthly tourism prizes to stimulate awareness and demand would be an obvious first step.

Both sectors already have a ready-made co-operative marketing tool called re-DISCOVER (www.re-discover.com) where over 50 restaurant partners have been working together with a common objective for years.

The hotel association should also step up and as early as the beginning of next month offer a comprehensive and ongoing StayCation programme which will tempt many locals and long stay visitors to sample our myriad of available accommodation options.

One statistic stays in my mind and that is 67 per cent. Across all our registered accommodation (villas and hotels) this figure of an average 67 occupancy per annual is widely quoted. Frankly, I don’t care if this ‘average’ is typical of the Caribbean region as a whole. This is Barbados and we can do better.

What could possibly justify having up 15,000 empty villa and hotels rooms empty on any given night with a vacant capacity of at least 30,000 visitor arrivals? There must be something we can do to fill those rooms, that we are currently not doing. Personal, my main concentration would be to devise a comprehensive plan to take that 67 up to 77 per cent annual occupancy. I just wonder, if anyone has actually sat down and calculated the financial benefit that would bring to the country?

While we target travel writers and journalists in the hard core departure cities, is there further opportunity to invite those who work on regional and local publications in the environs of our connecting cities? To me it’s a no-brainer, an empty room matched with a responsive travel publication! If a well written destination article can attract just ten first time visitors to Barbados, isn’t it cost-effective?

Of course, there are many more areas we can look at, or take a second look, including enticing frequent flyers, who already have the means to reach us without the perceived hurdle of geographic distance or high air fares.

As the private sector takes greater charge of our tourism destiny, perhaps there has never been a better time, in modern days, to exert that influence.

As we end another challenging year and enter a new hopefully more positive one, it would appear disingenuous not to have a 2019 wish list or perhaps more realistically a dream list. So just for the sake of it, here is mine (not necessarily in order of implementation).

1. I remain firmly convinced that there is a great deal more to be achieved if we learn to work better together, sharing ideas and costs.Many years ago we convinced the three largest villa rental agencies to jointly prepare suitable artwork including each of them in a single page ‘ad’ that was then placed in targeted travel magazines. The reach was greater for the cost than if they had attempted it individually and gave them much greater coverage.
2. Over the years I admit to have dismally failed to persuade the policymakers to implement an effective frequent flyer offering.This, despite an enormous growth in loyalty programmes which has been largely driven by the vastly increased number of ways to amass miles, often without even having to fly anywhere.
3. For most of our visitors, their holiday or vacation does not start at the airport or destination. It begins at home. For our more elderly clientele, getting to and from their home airport can present fundamental challenges with associated concerns and perceived risks. I would like to see us work with other travel partners like Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Trains to make airport access simpler, less stressful and less expensive. Rather like the British Rail Card concept, which for a small annual fee reduces the cost of travel on trains by as much as 30 per cent.
4. To identify and spend next year restoring and upgrading ten historical buildings in Bridgetown and Speightstown with the support of volunteers and corporate Barbados. Whether these finally become craft shops, art galleries, cafés or other useful revenue generating premises could be decided along the way.
5. To reduce our dependence on imported food stuffs by using the vast acreage of idle agricultural land to facilitate co-operative growers and provide the necessary security and environment to deter praedial larceny.
6. It would not be a credible wish list without mentioning airlift. Again, for years I have been trying to persuade the low cost carrier, Norwegian Air to service Barbados. Ideally, with non stop services from the Scandinavian airports they currently fly to, notably Copenhagen, Helsinki, Stockholm and Oslo. They operate a large fleet of B787 Dreamliner’s, perhaps the most ideal aircraft for the distance and timings. Even if we could only pick one of these airports, it makes economic sense to initially share a triangle route with our neighbour, St. Lucia.

Secondly, it is only a matter of time before an Icelandic airline flies into the Caribbean. With the newest aircraft types the capacity risk is dramatically reduced with smaller planes able to fly further. Iceland’s strategic geographical location and its proven ability to punch way above its weight, makes it an ideal partner.

If the reporting is factually correct, then all of us should warmly welcome the recent announcement by Prime Minister, Mia Mottley, stating that ‘the country’s tourism sector is about to become a level playing field when it comes to concessions granted for food and beverage importation’.

Adding ‘she had tasked Minister of Tourism, Kerrie Symmonds, to eradicate the bureaucratic unevenness faced by local hotels seeking clearance for the granting of concessions under the Tourism Development Act (Amended)’.

The second verbatim quotation raises a few concerns. Will this new policy only relate to hotels, or will it also apply to our stand-alone restaurants?

Our several dining options enjoy a good reputation and it would be a terrible shame to disadvantage them now.

The reason for requesting indisputable clarification will be critical to our post Brexit British market, especially with Easter falling late in April next year.Traditionally the bulk of overseas holidays are booked in the days immediately following Christmas, at least in the UK.

With the continued unpredictability surrounding the negative effects of Brexit, compounded by higher mortgage interest rates and a 30 year low value of Sterling against the US$. These factors will all play a huge part for those deciding which destination may offer the best value-for-money.

It also raises the question whether our policymakers and planners have put in place a contingency committee or group to carefully study and help mitigate any potential negative implications that may be caused by Brexit.

Are ‘we’ for instance looking at any possible reduction in airlift or the impact of the loss of EU261 which currently guarantees compensation for delayed flights operated by the current European Union member state airlines?

On a flight recently to Miami, it was particularly refreshing to witness at least two Government Ministers, including the Minister of Tourism and a Senator, seated in economy class.

And heartening later to read that it was a new Government mandate that Ministers, Permanent Secretaries and officers of a regulated grade would now fly economy on all flights of four hours or less and business class above a four hour duration. In actuality, this only covers direct nonstop flights to Florida and Panama. In hindsight it might have attracted far more credibility to have extended this to five hours, therefore including New York (area), Boston, Toronto, Montreal and Charlotte.

I also hope that this token move is taken a step further, by ensuring that all Government travel business including flights, accommodation and sustenance is paid for by designated credit or debit cards, which could earn those valuable frequent flyer miles or points ensuring further reductions in overall taxpayer spend and greater transparency of expenses.

Regular readers will know that I am a long standing and strong advocate of airline and hotel loyalty schemes and their associated benefits. As an example my recent connection flight from Barbados to Heathrow cost US$52.90 plus miles.

Just as our more innovative banks have devised credit cards that earn users additional cash back rewards, there is no reason why this preferred method of payment could not substantially bring down the overall net cost to Government.

Especially, when you factor in the increased number of Ministry portfolios, which will without doubt, create even more conceivably immoderate travel opportunities.

Adrian Loveridge

We now have over 36 weeks or more than 250 days to maximise our visitor arrivals numbers before normal climatic global conditions return with the start of a new winter season.

Frankly our summers have always been a challenge and whatever spin we put on this long running scenario, there are little more than band-aid solutions available, if we are going to be totally honest.

Of course events can play a critical role in helping maintain the numbers, but there is so much more we have to be doing in the background, to compete in an increasingly diverse and attractive choice of affordable destinations.

One of the areas I believe needs a great more attention is our long stay repeat visitor market, especially those with second homes on island.

How can ‘we’ encourage them to spend more time on Barbados?

Probably one of the biggest deterrents, are the relatively high cost of airfares, but there are still enormous opportunities here, if we look further. Many of our second home owners are retired or approaching retirement. They do not necessarily have to travel on peak travel days like Saturdays or Sundays, but are able to fly on traditionally quieter Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

With a little research and creativity there are also relative ‘bargains’ out there which with some flexibility can help with the overall cost.

An example is using American Airlines AAdvantage miles one way from Barbados to Heathrow via Miami where selective journey dates are available for 32,500 miles and US$52.91 in taxes and add-ons.

Of course you still have to a purchase flight in the opposite direction but with no VAT on British purchased flights, that’s a saving of at least 17.5 per cent when compared with tickets bought in Barbados.

And there are several options including Norwegian Air from Gatwick via Fort Lauderdale with JetBlue with fares from GB Pounds 233.

When the current Government introduced the 2 per cent levy on locally issued credit card purchases to supposedly dampen overseas purchases requiring foreign exchange usage, perhaps like many, I personally thought, it was highly unlikely to curb demand.

As we import the vast majority of consumed products, often costing twice the price of the identical item from where it is shipped, that concept was never going to work, quite simply. To combat this, my guess is the vast majority of people, including myself, switched to alternative methods of payment like American Express, Discover and Diners Card where this opportunist tax does not apply.

Using miles to reduce the cash cost of flights also allows both locals and visitors to break the journey, especially via Miami, but it could also apply to Toronto or Montreal as well. The return of a direct American Airlines New York service and possibly other gateways would greatly increase other options.

Even taking into account an overnight hotel in one or both directions, the savings over Barbadian prices for personal consumables would more than make up for this expense.

Over the years, sadly the use of miles to drive additional volume has not been given the attention I believe it deserves. And I can only think the reason behind this is that our tourism policymakers and planners do not even think of the potential, as they probably travel on full fare tickets.

Adrian Loveridge

Our tourism planners and policymakers have declared 2018 as ‘The Year of Culinary Experiences’ and without doubt, this presents an incredible opportunity to showcase across all markets our vast choices of eating options.

Over the next months substantial marketing and media attention will be given to promoting this concept and I urge all our range of dining establishments to wholeheartedly support these efforts, to reinforce the hard earned reputation Barbados has established, with an almost unparalleled choice of eateries, and often referred to as the Culinary Capital of the Caribbean.

Hopefully too, we can involve all the suppliers, distributors and wholesalers that currently supply our hospitality sector and will largely benefit from increased volume. And perhaps the banks and financial institutions will play their part by offering enhanced benefits for those frequenting the participating restaurants and paying by the various credit and debit card options.

Maybe a weekly dinner-for-two prize on offer, for those patrons selecting a particular method of payment!

Since the launch announcement at the last World Travel Market in London, we as a destination, have already received massive overseas media coverage of the year long event, including such diverse reportage as Viestra Magazine, eTurboNews, TravelPulse, The Star, TripAdvisor, Perth Caribbean Association, Toronto Star, Caribbean 360, Frankfurt (Germany) Live, Heart, Just Travel Deals, The Telegraph (UK), Trinidad Guardian, Twitter and Enroute, the Air Canada in-flight magazine.

This promotional value cannot be understated.

If it was paid-for advertising, the entire public and private tourism sector could not justify the cost.

Last month the Minister of Tourism for Jamaica stated that ‘an entrepreneurial training and coaching programme to assist local farmers to better understand the tourism industry, will be introduced in the first quarter of this year’. Adding ‘It is really about sensitizing farmers about the demand for tourism products that they can supply and also to use the applications (apps) that we are creating to access certain information that will connect them to buyers’.

According to the Hon. Edmund Bartlett, ‘We will be using food festivals as a strategic marketing tool to tap into the lucrative gastronomic tourism market’. And ‘to ensure that more of the earnings from the tourism industry are retained locally’.

I really hope that we can follow this example and finally dispel any widespread notion that ‘we’ are not all in this together with a common purpose and objective.

Personally, after five decades in tourism, I have absolutely no doubt that our cherished visitors want to sample more locally available products and produce and frankly it’s the only scenario that makes any ultimate economic sense.

Increased shipping costs and settlement charges together with recently imposed unbudgeted higher taxes makes this an imperative to find more locally available solutions, which is now even more critical to fiscal recovery.

We have come to that stage when the talking has to stop and the implementation takes place, before any further erosion of viability and sustainability disappears from one of our last remaining foreign currency and employment contributing sectors.

Adrian Loveridge

The United Kingdom travel trade press reported that over 3 million Brits booked their 2018 holiday during the week immediately following Christmas, possibly influenced by what has become mostly unseasonal cold weather.

The top ten most popular destinations were: 1) Spain, 2) USA, 3) Italy, 4) Greece, 5) France, 6) Portugal, 7) Caribbean, 8) Australia, 9) Canada and 10) Cyprus.

Perhaps a little surprising, is that the United States is way up there, despite the weakened value of Sterling, but still perceived as offering exceptional value-for-money. All indications are that the USA will be stronger than ever, with an estimated one million more Brits looking to travel across the Atlantic in 2018 when compared to 2017.

Clearly airline choice, increased competition, larger aircraft and availability have all contributed to this, together with opening up of over ten new UK/USA routes.

While Spain led the popularity ratings, according to the ATOL (Air Travel Operating Licence) survey, which arrived at the figures through a sample survey of 4,000 holidaymakers, but geography or demographics had some influence on this.

The London bubble sees those from the Capital bucking the trend when it comes to travel. Only 7 per cent of those that live in London see Spain as their next holiday, compared to a national average of just under a quarter (23 per cent).

Possibility this reflects on fact that London is often referred to as being one of the most expensive cities to live in the world and that drives their residents to consider more exotic locations. A point that I am sure is not lost with our tourism planners and marketers.

The research also found that when it comes to booking holidays, top priority for consumers include guaranteed sunshine, a nearby beach and even access to British TV channels. An interesting topic for our television, cable and satellite providers to ponder on perhaps!

I recently signed up for a free one hour of British television per day via a service called TV Mucho which can be turned into a 24/7 provision, for as little as Euro 4 per month subscription.

As we try and target our tourism product more towards the millennials, the survey concluded for the younger generation, the top three priorities for a holiday include ‘good wifi’, 35 per cent, ‘free data roaming, 15 per cent and ‘instagrammable locations’ 10 per cent.

Food offerings continue to be increasingly important, especially for the more mature travellers.

2018 has been designated ‘The Year of Culinary Experience’ which presents our restaurants, together with all the various eating options the opportunity to partner with catering and drinks suppliers to cement the reputation we have collectively built within the Caribbean, for unparalleled lunch and dining choices.

This is going to be critical to the success of this year long ‘event’.

The anticipated media and press coverage that will be gleaned from this promotion will well eclipse the paid-for advertising that may be contemplated, even during challenging economic times and the marketing funds became available.

Adrian Loveridge

Last week I spent well over 30 minutes on the phone speaking to the locally based Managing Director of a multinational company which has a major presence in Barbados. It was a result of a quality control issue on a recent small purchase. Quite simply the conversation was a revelation and it brings in focus just how many hoops, hurdles and unbudgeted additional expenses our private sector is forced to endure if they hope to survive, let alone flourish.

While our private sector has recently received a government bashing from certain ill-informed sources, there are of course, always at least two sides of every story or scenario.

If I recall accurately, when a journalist asked the late hotel mogul, Lord Forte, what was the deciding factor which influenced him buying a particular hotel? He responded by saying that he went into the closest lavatory to reception and if it was spotlessly clean, that was a clear indication that it was a well managed hotel and worth acquiring.

In my particular case, there was absolutely no obligation that the managing director had to contact me either by phone or email. But he did, rather than delegate the task to a lesser mortal, and it clearly demonstrates, at least to me, the imperative of attention to detail and the critical role it plays in retaining customer loyalty.

Some years ago, while my Mother-in-Law was staying with us, sadly fell and broke her shoulder in two places. It was obvious that she could not fly back to the UK on the scheduled day of travel. So I contacted the local office of the airline, which at that time still existed, fully expecting to pay a change of date fee. They refused, stating I had to book and pay for a full fare single ticket.

Having flown with British Airways many times, up to seven return flights per year to Barbados alone, and in the past with group bookings during my time with Swiss tour operator, Globus Gateway, I called the then Chief Executive Officer, Sir Colin (later Lord) Marshall. He was busy on the phone, but his secretary assured me that the call would be returned and within a few minutes he personally called back.

In his legendary calm and controlled voice, Sir Colin said ‘Adrian, please just pay for the ticket with a credit card and we will ensure it is fully refunded’. True to his word, it happened and I was left thinking what incredible attention to detail and hoped that one day, I might reach that level of positive response.

So often in tourism, we do not get a second chance to ensure the very best experience is delivered, so ‘hands-on’ management is essential, especially in a modern socially media driven world. Our tourism planners and policymakers can do everything right, but all it takes is an initially tiny problem not to be dealt with in an expeditious and transparent manner for all to witness and be assured by.

A recent classical example is the South Coast Sewage saga.

Some politicians they may think there is voting mileage in criticising the private sector, especially among the less versed electorate, but my advice to them is to look in the mirror and ask – have I done all that I could have?