Tourism still ticks all the right boxes despite the challenges

At a time when Barbados joins the rest of the world in celebrating World Tourism Day under the theme, ‘Tourism and Peace’, the local tourism landscape appears to be dogged by upheaval.

The Barbados Workers’ Union (BWU) is flexing its muscle with general secretary Toni Moore launching an aggressive battle against what it has termed unethical players in the sector.

The union has turned its attention to some big operators, calling out the Sandals Hotel group and the Wyndham Sam Lord’s Castle for their treatment of hotel workers, including large-scale layoffs.

While on the one hand, the Minister of Tourism Ian Gooding-Edghill touts the performance of the sector, workers are confronting workplace situations that seem to run counter to the rosy picture painted of the sector’s expansion and growth.

The transient nature of employment in the sector, the generally low wages of most jobs, the physical nature of the work especially for workers on expansive properties, and its disruptive effect on the family life of staffers are all issues which the sector as a whole has to address.

Recent efforts by the Ministry of Labour to address the matter of minimum wages for hospitality workers, represented an important development as it gave recognition to some of the issues of which these employees complained for years.

It will be incumbent on the authorities to ensure that some employers will not use a similar tactic that has been employed in other sectors to escape the increased labour costs by employing workers for fewer hours per week or offering them zero-hour employment contracts.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, in his message to mark World Tourism Day, stated: “Sustainable tourism can transform communities – creating jobs, fostering inclusion and strengthening local economies. By valuing and preserving cultural and natural heritage, it can help reduce tensions and nurture peaceful coexistence. Tourism can also promote economic interdependence between neighbours, encouraging cooperation and peaceful development.”

On the other hand, Minister Gooding-Edghill outlined that for Barbados, “Tourism is more than an economic pillar – it is a bridge connecting us to the wider world.” Moreover, he outlined how the government intended to continue to position Barbados as a “beacon of peace, hospitality and sustainable development in the global community”.

These are all lofty goals to which the country should aspire. However, it is important that those who work in tourism feel that they are valued so that they can provide visitors with a “welcoming, inclusive environment”.

We fear that the words and ideals of tourism policymakers may not always be reflected in the everyday experiences of the workers tasked with delivering high-quality service to visitors and locals who access tourism facilities such as accommodation, food and beverage services.

Attention has frequently been drawn to the island’s over-reliance on tourism to sustain the Barbados economy, particularly given the cataclysmic impact which the COVID experience wrought on the sector and the economy.

The very multilateral financial institution that has provided critical financial support for Barbados over the past six years, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), has consistently urged highly tourism-dependent countries to diversify their economies.

The IMF has echoed the concerns of many Barbadians that greater focus should be placed on agriculture and ensuring greater food security, to insulate the population from shocks and to cut the exceedingly high food import bill.

Despite all this, political leaders will argue that they have a country to run and demands of constituents to satisfy. People require jobs and small open economies require foreign exchange to sustain their existence.

It, therefore, will continue to be a challenge to wean the economy off a sector that ticks so many boxes despite all the risks.