Tag Archives: Tourism Performance

High Expectations for Tourism

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Around this time of the year it is difficult not to spare a few thoughts for all those involved in tourism, directly or otherwise, who sacrifice their quality precious time with family to take care of our visitors over the Christmas period. Of course they are not alone with other sectors including the essential services assuming the same responsibility. As someone, through work commitments, who has only celebrated a personal Christmas four times during the past 40 years, my thanks and admiration to you all for your dedication.

There have been many predictions and projections made recently about an anticipated increase in long stay visitors in 2015 when compared with this year. A figure of a 6 per cent rise has been quoted, but I would caution all tourism partners against any complacency they may be lured into. With hopefully Sandals Casuarina re-opening on schedule at the end of January and maintaining an optimistic 90 per cent occupancy level before any rooms are added, this would attract around 24,000 visitors, based on two persons sharing and an average 7 night stay before year end.

According to CTO (Caribbean Tourism Organisation) statistics, Barbados recorded a total of 508,520 stay over visitors in 2013, which was a 5.2 per cent decline when compared with the 2012 figures. Therefore factoring in the potential Sandals and an overall 6 per cent rise would only produce a net gain of 6,500 visitors spread across every other accommodation provider.

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Caribbean Tourism: Coming Together for the Benefit of ALL

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Adrian Loveridge - Hotelier

Adrian Loveridge – Hotelier

According to figures released by the Barbados Statistical Service January 2014 recorded the second highest long stay visitor arrivals from the United Kingdom in the last 12 years, with 18,134 persons. Only January 2009 exceeded this number with 20,911 persons. Having said this, there is still a mountain to climb especially if you look at the situation in perspective, January 2009 performance has to take into account recent past performance. In 2012 our single largest market registered a decline in every consecutive month of that year, ending with an overall fall of 15,631 stay-over visitors.

2013 finished with another 4,786 arrivals down over 2012. Over the last two year’s we have already more than 20,000 ‘lost’ British visitors to make up for. February 2014 United Kingdom figures continued with what hopefully will be an ongoing trend with a 10.2 per cent increase when compared with the identical month a year ago.

Sadly though the decline across other markets resulted in an overall fall, registering the lowest stay-over numbers for any February during the last 11 years. More than any, the second month of the calendar is often the barometer of whether the winter season is going to end successfully or not.

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A Glance at Our Tourism Stats

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Adrian Loveridge - Hotelier

Adrian Loveridge

Is there some room for cautious optimism in our tourism performance? Following 21 consecutive months of long stay visitor decline January 2014 recorded a modest increase of 3.2 per cent when compared with the same month in 2013. It is however important to keep this in absolute perspective. January 2013 was down 8.2 per cent (4,331 people) when measured against January 2012 and unless we finish the end of February, 7,972 land based visitors up we will still be woefully behind the identical period last year.

The growth largely came from the United Kingdom with 1,455 more long-stay visitors over the same period in January 2013. This in itself is encouraging, because as frequently pointed out, the British and Europeans tend to stay longer, therefore usually contributing a higher per capita spend. The higher UK arrivals were largely driven by two charter airlines. Thomas Cook operating a new service and Thomson adding increased capacity with recently introduced B787 Dreamliner aircraft.

Passengers from these flights included a significant number of cruise and stay holidaymakers, but both carriers offered many seats on sale at substantially reduced fares, which in some cases were less than GBPounds 300 return, including all taxes. With such a diverse destination and a myriad range of accommodation options, these last minute ‘bargains’ present an opportunity to fill some beds at short notice.

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Need to Maximize Tourism Budget in the US

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Adrian Loveridge - Hotelier

Adrian Loveridge – Hotelier

Frankly I have never understood the seemingly illogical apportionment of the Barbados Tourism Authority (BTA) annual budget and the ways it has been spent across our principal tourism markets. The United States stands out as a vivid example. In the five years 2003-2007, we welcomed 654,281 American long stay visitors. For the same duration 2008-2012, that number (661,646) grew by a minuscule 7,365 persons or an increase of just 1.1 per cent, which barely represents an incremental annual average of 0.2 per cent.

During that same second period, our neighbour, St. Lucia, recorded a 4.6 per cent improvement of US arrivals. Hardly spectacular, but with all those throwing their hands up in the air, while shouting APD (Advanced Passenger Duty), recession, global economic meltdown and all the other possible excuses, is nothing to be ashamed of.

What continues to be puzzling is why ‘we’ continue to spend the lion’s share of the BTA budget in the US market, without being able to achieve a meaningful return on ‘our’ investment. More overseas offices, staff, airline subsidies, the legendary per diem and other expenses, than any other major source, but little or nothing to show for it! For instance compare the exact same period with Canada, which grew by 35 per cent (87,339 extra arrivals) or an average of 7 per cent per annum. The imminent withdrawal of American Airlines on the New York route is just one part of the problem. Yes! Our policymakers are scrabbling around trying to find alternative carriers to meet the loss of seats, but what exactly is the plan to fill them?

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Barbados Tourism: Plan Versus Actual

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Adrian Loveridge - Hotelier

Adrian Loveridge – Hotelier

When you read emotive statements such as ‘In two months we would have reached the enviable target of over one billion earned impressions on our digital properties supporting brand Barbados’  perhaps you cannot fail to be left in a condition of being awestruck. But then, reflecting on the words, what does this actually mean and how does it impact on our current tourism performance.

It is quickly realised that while the less informed may get blown away with the flowery phraseology, certainly in the last seventeen consecutive months, it has not had any positive effective on driving increased long stay visitor arrivals.

We are also in the third year of the quoted multi million marketing arrangement with superstar Rihanna and ten months since her long delayed campaign video has been aired. When I last checked YouTube it had received over 450,000 views. On reflection, at least the inclusion of a ‘call to action’ or proven method of monitoring the level of booked holiday conversion ratio would have demonstrated any cost-effectiveness. Surely, by now, we should have started to see some sort of return on ‘our’ investment?

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You Are Wrong Adrian!

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Submitted by Philip Skeete

Adrian Loveridge – Owner of Peach & Quiet Hotel

I would like to make a correction to some misleading information which Mr. Adrian Loveridge has posted in his blog with reference to tourist arrivals in Barbados and St. Lucia. By his argument, St. Lucia has done 40 times better than Barbados for the four years 2008 to 2011. I wonder if he realizes that they have done infinity times better than the Bahamas using his poor logic. How on earth can these people using such logic, convince any government to blindly throw money into their businesses? The Bahamas attracted 5,503,733 stay-over tourists, Barbados 2,185955 stay-over tourists and St. Lucia 1,192,102 stay-over tourists during the same period 2008-2011.  Adding up positive growth, deducting negative growth and concluding that one country does better than the other is madness.  St. Lucia should be the leading destination in the Caribbean according to Mr. Loveridge’s illogic.

The member countries of the CTO outperforming Barbados in stay-over tourists 2008-2011 are Aruba, Bahamas, Cancun, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands.

The full membership is as follows :- Anguilla, Antigua, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cancun Cayman Islands Cozumel , Cuba, Curacao, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Martinique, Montserrat, Puerto Rico, St. Lucia, St. Maarten, St. Vincent, Trinidad, US Virgin Islands.

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