Tourism minister defends Barbados’ safety amid crime concerns

Barbados is still considered a safe tourist destination despite the recent spate of gun crime, Minister of Tourism Ian Gooding-Edghill has insisted, appearing to push back on concerns expressed by Central Bank Governor Dr Kevin Greenidge that the growing violence in society could significantly harm the island’s main money-spinner.

“Based on all reports and all indicators, we have not been experiencing any significant rise in crime against visitors in Barbados, and that’s a very good thing for the destination, in fact I believe for the year I don’t think we’ve had any reports at all,” Gooding-Edghill said on Tuesday. “Certainly last year we did very well as a tourist destination and we always benefit from the support of the Barbados Police Service, of course, the hoteliers and other persons within the accommodation sector who have their own security arrangements in place.

“Barbados still remains a very safe destination for visitors and we’ve had no evidence at this point in time [of any violence towards tourists]. Of course, I suspect what the governor perhaps indicated is that in the future [it was a possibility] but I can assure you that the systems that we have in place will continue to ensure that we manage this visitor experience in Barbados, and that is what we’re about.”

The minister added that he was not aware of any visitor apathy being experienced.

“We have thousands of visitors who come to Barbados, the good thing about Barbados, and I must say this with all sincerity, is that Barbadians always welcome visitors to the destination and they always go out of their way to help visitors, and that is an outstanding trademark in respect of the Barbados brand and we believe that will continue into the future.

“So at this point in time, I have no concerns whatsoever. I am pleased with the visitor experience; I am pleased with the ratings, of course, that the visitors are reporting to us during our surveys, during our interaction with staff at the hotels, and of course with other tourism officials.”

He continued: “There’s no need to worry, and I must tell you that Barbados has a wonderful brand. The success of that brand is due in particular to the people of Barbados who hold hospitality in very high regard, and I’m confident that Barbadians going forward will continue to hold hospitality in high regard and treat every person, every visitor to Barbados, the way they’re accustomed to experiencing Barbados. So I have no concerns at this point.”

Last week, Dr Greenidge said he was worried about the potential negative impact of crime on tourism.

He told journalists during an economic review of 2024: “We got to get real. There is only one Barbados. Only one rock we live upon. Crime will destroy us if it’s not dealt with . . . Any crime has to be the concern of everybody. Each of us has a part to play. Crime has the potential to disrupt everything.”

Last year, Barbados recorded 50 homicides and there have been seven reported for the year thus far.

Asked if there was any concern about the recent developments taking place under President Donald Trump, Gooding-Edghill said tourism officials were closely monitoring the situation.

“Based on our projections, based on all of our internal models that we are seeing, there’s nothing at this point in time to cause us any concern,” he said. “Of course it’s a dynamic situation, we have to be monitoring it continuously and we will continue to monitor events around the globe, but I can tell you that due to the incredible hard work of the BTMI team and in respect of those who are stationed overseas, I must tell you that not only the United States but all markets are seeing the benefits of the significant efforts being put in by those officers within the external market and certainly those at headquarters.

“I can tell you at this point in time I have no concerns. I would caution that anything can happen in the world. The good thing about this is that we are building a resilient tourism sector, and we have been planning the resilience of this sector. It is not by accident that we decide, when we see certain headwinds and we see certain trends, that we adopt adaptive strategies to ensure that Barbados still remains on top of its game and therefore the increase in visitors that you’re seeing from the United States of America is really an appreciation for the tactical efforts and the strategy that we have employed.”

As it relates to this year’s outlook, the minister said he expected strong arrival numbers from Canada, Europe and the US.

“We still have very strong visitor arrivals coming out of Canada, it’s doing extremely well. We still have very strong performances coming out of the United Kingdom, albeit the political and economic situation within the UK. But we are confident that we will continue to do very well in those markets,” Gooding-Edghill said.

“This year we are seeking to even build additional capacity, more resilience, and of course, our strategy has always been to increase visitor arrivals, and that’s what we’ll be working on throughout this year. We will be intensifying our efforts on building stronger performances out of all of our source markets and of course our new and emerging markets as well.”

sheriabrathwaite@barbadostoday.bb