Another stellar year for tourism
“Barbados’ tourism industry is set to record a third consecutive record-breaking year with respect to long-stay visitors.”
So says Minister of Tourism, Richard Sealy, as he addressed yesterday’s Astor B. Watts Lunchtime Lecture Series at the DLP headquarters in George Street, St. Michael.
“Visitors arrivals were 632 000 in 2016 – the first time the county has seen over 600 000 long-stay visitors on the island. The first eight months of the year has recorded an increase in arrivals of 8.5 per cent and there is nothing to suggest that we will not finish this year in that vicinity,” he said.
“The performance did not occur by accident,” Sealy highlighted, “but by deliberate programmes initiated by agencies falling under the Ministry of Tourism and International Transport, in particular the Barbados Tourism Investment Inc., The Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc. and the Barbados Tourism Product Authority.
“The Medium-Term Growth and Developmental Strategy 2013-2020 targeted a growth rate of between 3.0 by 2018 and to 4.0 per cent by 2020. These targets, as noted in the document, represent the minimum growth that the country would not want to fall below, but would want to surpass even if consideration is given to economic cycles. It is expected that if this growth is to increase and remain sustainable, then it will have to be private sector led with a major focus on investment and exports.”
He highlighted, “Tourism is perhaps the only industry in Barbados which has been competing on the world stage. The Tourism Industry serves as a major catalyst for the development of other economic sectors with a high economic multiplier effect, affecting industries such as construction, distribution, transportation, textile, agriculture, and fisheries sectors and other service industries insofar as they supply goods and services used in the Tourism Industry.
“In Barbados, in particular, the linkages are extremely important due to the current low performance of the industrial sectors. In addition, Tourism contributes to the cultural industries through the production of art and craft, which have high domestic cultural value, in addition to increasing job creation and foreign exchange earnings.
“In contrast to other industries, particularly the high-tech industries and related services, the number of potential work opportunities generated by the tourism industry – both direct and indirect – is enormous.” (NB)