The Jamaica-based international hotel chain Sandals Resorts International is hoping to boost visitor numbers from the German and the wider European market through a partnership with local tourism officials.
Managing Director of Sandals Europe Dominik Riber told members of the media on Friday that the popular hotel chain initiated a familiarisation trip (fam trip) to bring some of Germany’s best-selling agents, tour operators and partners over to Barbados.
The aim is to have them experience some of the island’s offerings – culture, tours, cooking, hotels and other attractions – in order to better sell the island back home.
The trip included travel agents, tour operators, travel media, travel insurance representatives, social media influencers and airline representatives, the majority of whom came from Germany, with a small portion from Austria and Switzerland.
While 110 people were scheduled to arrive, only 90 of them were able to make it “due to missing COVID-19 tests and other organisational stuff along the way that were complicated”, said Riber.
The group arrived in Barbados on Thursday on the first Lufthansa flight for the season and most of them will be departing on Saturday. Some of them have decided to extend their stay up to two weeks to experience more of what Barbados has to offer.
Riber said he was confident this trip would result in more business for hotels and the island.
“When we started this around four to five weeks ago, a lot of people laughed at us . . . but we felt that it was absolutely essential to put this together with [the Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc.] team, tour operators and the airlines, and we pulled it off,” he recalled.
“My message to the industry is that we need these sorts of initiatives. The people, our mutual guests, they don’t know what to do anymore, they are confused. There are so many changing messages on an hourly level. So [experiencing and explaining] the new ways of travel – all the hygiene requirements, the protocols – are absolutely essential to create transparency.
“In the end, we are only going to do this together as stakeholders along the chain in the tourism industry. No one will make this on their own. This is the message we are trying to give with this – let us work together as an industry and ensure we put everything in place that the guests can be as safe as possible in this unfortunate time we are in,” he added.
Riber lauded Barbados for its protocols, saying officials were doing “a fantastic job”.
“Although the protocols are strict, the island is safe and it means a lot. It is sort of seen as a safe haven in the world . . . . The island has done fantastic and I can only encourage you to keep the protocols up and keep the concepts and everything you are doing because you are doing something right. If that continues, I am sure a lot of people will notice and come over to take a break from what it is in other countries,” he said.
The BTMI covered about 50 per cent of the cost of the mandatory second testing for the team and the hotels paid the remaining 50 per cent.
Debbie Moe, BTMI’s Senior Business Development Officer, said: “It is definitely a challenging time for travel in general, but this is why you are here. It is really good that you are able to experience this. This will better your knowledge so that you will better sell this to your clients as well.”
Owner of the P&M Travel agency in Cologne, Germany, Nicole Kueck told reporters she would be in a better position to sell the country, having experienced some of what was on offer and the protocols in place.
“I can better explain to my customers how it could be when they come here,” said the first-time visitor to the island.
She said Germans were “really ready to travel” outside the country, given the restrictions that were being imposed there, including a pending lockdown on Monday.
“Travelling is not a problem, just travelling in Germany is a problem. To go to another country, it is open. Everyone is asking but they are a bit afraid because of the lockdown to go to other countries, because they think when they are there they are unable to return, but we can explain to them that is not a problem. The flights will be flying,” Kueck said.
Germany is expected to be placed on Barbados’ list of high-risk destinations as of next week. (MM)
