Some of Barbados’ long-time and most frequent visitors appear to be wary about the suite of tax measures imposed on the tourism industry – leaving them with a “very nasty taste”, on the verge of cancelling future trips or possibly slashing the length of their stay. Barbados TODAY contacted a number of frequent visitors who […]
Category: Tourism
A National Cruise Development Commission has been established to probe issues affecting the island’s cruise sector which is said to be in “a state of deep crisis”. Minister of Tourism and International Transport Kerrie Symmonds announced the 15-member commission this morning, during a press conference, at its offices located at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre. […]
Visitor arrivals are up for the first six months of 2018, and the Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc (BTMI) is expecting the positive trend to continue, with more flights due here and new attractions to come on stream before yearend. In a release, the BTMI said that between January and June this year, Barbados recorded some […]
The island’s two key tourism agencies, the Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc (BTMI) and the Barbados Tourism Product Authority (BTPA), will soon operate under a single board. Acting Minister of Tourism Colin Jordan today said this was the first step in the Mia Mottley administration’s move to operate the two entities as a partnership between Government […]
It is early days yet, but the July 1 introduction of the room rate levy and the 2.5 per cent product development levy on direct tourism has not scared away tourists for the Crop Over season now in full swing, according to the organization that represents the interest of local hoteliers. The Barbados Hotel and […]
Porters operating at Grantley Adams International Airport (GAIA) are being assured that their jobs are safe despite the change of Government following the May 24 general election. Minister of Tourism Kerrie Symmonds has made it clear that there are no plans to get rid of porters, commonly referred to here as red caps. “For those […]
Tourism and industrial businesses could receive an ease after all from the massive rise in their water bills occasioned by Government’s Garbage and Sewage Contribution (GSC) levy announced on Monday by Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Mia Mottley as part of her economic recovery plan. While not promising to reverse the decision, Mottley today […]
The country’s bread and butter tourism sector could be slapped with yet another tax as the Barbados Labour Party (BLP) administration presses ahead with its economic recovery programme. The cruise sector, which escaped additional taxes in the first phase of the three-phase Economic Recovery and Transformation Plan announced by Prime Minister and Minister of Finance […]
The Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) is looking to launch a major regional marketing campaign at the end of this month, as member territories seek to increase their tourism market share. CTO Chairman Dionsio D’Aguilar told reporters at a press conference in New York this morning that the promotion will be undertaken in collaboration with the […]
Tourism officials, attending the annual Caribbean Week in New York, are seeking to attract more business from the United States and have enlisted the support of the region’s Diaspora. Caribbean Week, which is organized by the Caribbean Tourism Organization, coincides with the observance of Caribbean American Heritage Month, which highlights the contributions made by West […]
Tourism dependent Barbados could benefit from an overall increase in visitor arrivals from the Caribbean over the next two decades. However, in order to do so, it would first need to reduce its taxes and airport charges, says President of the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) Dr Warren Smith. Pointing to the findings of one of […]
A regional agricultural specialist is advising Government to make it mandatory for tourism operators here to use local produce in their operations. Addressing a lunchtime lecture put on by the Rural Development Commission (RDC) at the Queen’s Park Steel Shed on Friday on the topic Grow What You Eat/Invest in Food Security, Sub-regional Director of […]
A Barbadian blockchain technology company is set to play a key role in helping the region’s tourism industry track visitor spend and improve competitiveness. The Hastings, Christ Church-based Bitt, which describes itself as the first to bring cryptocurrency exchange to the Caribbean, this morning signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Barbados headquartered Caribbean […]
The Barbados Tourism Marketing, Inc (BTMI) says the country’s tourism is once again in winner’s row, beating out destinations such as second-place Seychelles and third-place Bermuda to land the number one spot on the 2017 Destination Satisfaction Index (DSI). On Saturday BTMI said throughout the year, over 70,000 travellers were interviewed around the world, giving […]
The Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association (BHTA) has issued a strong warning that if the ongoing sewage crisis affecting the south coast is not quickly remedied it could prove disastrous for the island’s bread and butter tourism industry. As such, BHTA Chief Executive Officer Rudy Grant is calling for “a senior Government official to take […]
The head of the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) is suggesting that Barbados and the rest of the Caribbean are not taking tourism seriously enough. Speaking this morning at a press conference at the organization’s Baobab Tower, Warrens, St Michal headquarters where the CTO delivered the Caribbean Tourism Performance Report 2017, Secretary General Hugh Riley complained […]
Barbados’ tourism sector exceeded expectations for 2017 and Minister of Tourism and International Transport Richard Sealy is projecting an even better 2018 as the island re-enters the Latin American market with a new flight from Panama City coming on stream in July. “When we look at our raw numbers, they were at record levels for […]
