EDITORIAL: Vote for Harris, Barbados

Miss Universe Barbados Shannon Harris departed the island last week to represent this country in the Miss Universe competition. She is currently in the Philippines flying the Barbados flag high – both figuratively and literally – as she competes in the various segments and the final big pageant slated for viewing locally on January 29th .

 

Speaking to the press before her departure, Harris said she was “excited” and “proud to represent Barbados”. Along with her management team, she expressed her intentions to increase the visibility of Barbados at every opportunity.

 

The Barbados Advocate lauds her commitment and is grateful for her efforts. We are cognizant of the benefits of having positive public relations when it comes to Barbados’s ability to attract potential visitors. As we saw recently, DJ Puffy’s win at the Red Bull Thre3Style World Champion contest raised the profile of this country on the international level, opening doors to both him and other DJs in Barbados. It is also well established that Rihanna’s success has benefitted Barbados over the years. Initially her efforts included Barbadian imagery and national symbols being interspersed in her videos and graduated to the songstress featuring the country in a number of interviews, shows or simple photo opportunities at every chance. 

 

There have been a few others who have done the same, for instance Rupee and Shontelle also promoted Barbados in their music videos, which were shown internationally. Furthermore, it is not only in the music arena that Bajans have made their mark. In sports Chelsea Tuach has put Barbados on the map in surfing and in horseracing jockey Patrick Husbands has made a name for himself and this island.

 

Still, there is a slight difference between these stellar achievements and the Miss Universe Competition. Although the final winner in the pageant will be crowned based on the judges’ opinion on the night, there are several aspects of judging that will be based on viewers’ opinions and online voting. Therefore every Barbadian could play a part at increasing the likelihood of Harris winning in particular categories.

 

Presently there is similar online voting being done to rate Barbados’ St Nicholas Abbey and George Washington House as the Best Caribbean Attraction in USA Today’s travel expert poll. After appealing to the public to support the local sites in the online voting, St. Nicholas Abbey rose to first place and remains there at present.

 

Therefore, it is evident that online voting can really make an impact and as such the official Miss Universe franchise will be launching its online voting facility soon. 

 

It is not often that an individual has influence on selecting the winner of a contest and when this contest is on an international level, it behooves all of us to get involved and ensure that this little country makes its mark, because to do so will only boost our attraction as an ideal destination for visitors from all countries with their varied interests. 

 

We wish Shannon Harris the best in this contest and urge all Barbadians to show support for her and your country by voting online when the opportunity presents itself in the near future.