Barbados Today

Kudos on a job well done, SSA
It is not unusual when there is a big event or festival to forget the people behind the scenes who play a pivotal role in the success of the event. This week, I am determined not to allow this to happen, especially as it relates to the Sanitation Service Authority.
From all reports, tens of thousands of patrons attended last weekend’s events, and while it has been reported that the patrons had a grand time, I must compliment the SSA for a job “well done”.
On Tuesday morning before 7:30, while driving along the Spring Garden Highway, it was quite noticeable how clean the streets were. One could hardly believe that this same area accommodated over ten thousand persons until late Monday.
Many others in our society, and especially the leadership of our two major tourism organisations – the Barbados Tourism Authority and the Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association – are also expressing this appreciation.
What the SSA has achieved here is what every hotelier and event organiser dreams of — having the event facility restored to its original state seamlessly after the event. To many in our society, this may seem like a small thing or a natural expectation, but let me suggest that things like this cannot be achieved without proper planning and execution.
One of the measurements against which we as a tourism destination are judged is our cleanliness, and it does not matter how many mass events we put on, visitors expect and deserve cleanliness. Additionally, we are always faced with new arrivals who are not concerned with what has gone on before — and their expectation of a clean Barbados should be met every time.
It was only in June this year that the SSA received from the BHTA a Special Commendation/Appreciation Award. Their performance over the Crop-Over season shows why the department was so deserving of the award. I believe that this is an example of how other organisations should be working in support of our main economic driver. With tourism successes we all benefit, where credit is due it should be given.
The massive cleanup campaign by the SSA will certainly leave a good impression in the minds of the hundreds of visitors currently on the island, either for a continuation of their holiday, or attending the Diaspora Conference which is now in progress.
Well done, Sanitation Service Authority.
* Tourism is our business, let us play our part.