#BTColumn – Tourism reimagined

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by this author are their own and do not represent the official position of the Barbados TODAY Inc.

by Brandon Squires

We have long adopted the decades-old tourism ideology of “Visit Paradise” – “enjoy the sun, white sandy beaches and clear waters, great restaurants and island attractions”.

The demographic that visits the island based on that promise, normally spends approximately two to three weeks.

However, with all the hassle that is attached to COVID-19 and travel, we need to pay more attention to long term visitors (longer than six months).

Government should be commended for the introduction of the Welcome Stamp Programme, but, with more persons returning to offices, we may see a reduction in persons re-applying or applying for the first time. However, similar to the Work In Barbados theme of that programme, perhaps it’s time that we look at creating or expanding other programmes.

Retire In Barbados

In 2019, the United States recorded that more than 54 million Americans were over 65. In Canada, six million persons and in the United Kingdom, 12 million. These three countries make up for the majority of our short term visitors. Of the US number, 46 million or 85 per cent are officially retired.

With a combination of an organised advertising campaign, appropriate policies, affordable services and adequate infrastructure, we can attract retirees who wish to spend their golden years in “Paradise”. In order to reach these standards, some changes have to occur.

Firstly, we need to make housing more available. This requires more affordable housing in “safe” areas, where persons can feel comfortable. These houses must also be in close proximity to bus routes, for persons who don’t wish to buy or rent a vehicle.

Therefore, we must also have a reliable, intelligent, integrated and safe transportation system. An intelligent system would allow a person to track the bus they would like to utilise and support a system where the Transport Board can produce a schedule for the buses that can be updated based on traffic delays etc. This will help not just the visitors, but the general travelling public, plan their day.

In order to accommodate these elderly visitors, we must upgrade our healthcare system and equip the institutions with the necessary financing systems, facilities, equipment and staff needed to service the public in a timely manner.

These visitors will also patronise small businesses, like boutiques, hair salons, restaurants and local attractions, more often than short term visitors.. We can also look at the development of more retirement facilities, with recreational activities, within the environs, and easy access to services.

Countries like Mexico, Panama and Costa Rica are all developing housing projects, targeted at the elderly. According to the US Department of State, more than 20,000 Americans are living in Costa Rica, with many of them being retirees.

This points to the trend of retirees, not only escaping the cold in the winter, but staying and enjoying the tropical conditions all year round. The State of

Florida is also a hub for American retirees. This is so, because of the many amenities that cater to them, such as golf clubs and sewing classes.

The cost of living is also considered low, therefore retirees can spend less of their savings. Building our nation for this will create new jobs in construction, healthcare, hospitality and entrepreneurs.

Compete in Barbados

Our sports industry has significantly declined, with the loss of our National Stadium, limited world class football pitches and few state of the art sporting facilities. However, with the development of better facilities supported by appropriate policies we may see more persons coming to Barbados to compete, spectate, recover and train.

When the Caribbean Premier League is held, hundreds of people visit the Caribbean to witness the 28 games that are held in six islands. Many visitors, sportsmen and spectators, also come to witness the Barbados Rally and the Sandy Lane Gold Cup. But we can do more than this.

We need to rebuild a national stadium, to increase the island’s ability to host events like the track and field segment of the CARIFTA Games. On a broader scale, we can also work with CARICOM to host the Commonwealth Games.

In order to host the Commonwealth, we will need to redevelop regional airlift to transport fans during the Games, as well as athletes to/from the country that will host their sport.

Once again, the construction of affordable housing would be paramount in enabling us to house the athletes, reserving hotels to the spectators. Other international events can include CONCACAF football tournaments, and eventually, big stages like World Athletics Championships and the Olympics.

Aside from the hosting of championships like those, we can also look at the possibility of creating our own Regional football, cricket, volleyball, basketball and netball tournaments at the club level, which will expose more athletes to competing on the international stage, rather than a select few who would be chosen for the national teams. This will not only develop tourism, as it relates to travel, but sports.

Much like our recreational tourists, sports teams in colder climates flock to places like Florida and The Bahamas to continue training during the winter months. The renovation and development of these various facilities will enable us to facilitate these teams during their off season periods.

The Government and the Private Sector can seek to support world class athletics programs, like the UWI Academy of Sport, that can cater to Barbadian and other regional athletes, who may not be able to afford programs in the USA or UK.

Benefits of Diversifying

Tourism As mentioned before, the focus on long-term tourism can see a significant increase in the number of visitors to the island year-round.

However, Barbados is for both locals and tourists. So Barbadians should have an input on any planned development.

These tourism strategies will allow us to benefit from the long term financial contributions, like the payment of taxes on goods and services, and will also boost other industries.

Perhaps, instead of diversifying away from tourism, we can look to diversify the industry itself. Acknowledging that it may be a bit of a sacrifice to put all of the infrastructure in place, the long term rewards will be much greater.

This column was submitted as a Letter to the Editor.