From left: Darin Holder, CEO of the Caribbean Cooking Channel; Dr. Kerry Hall, CEO of the Barbados Tourism Product Authority (BTPA); and Tracy Highland of Premier Events.
Four of the six top mixologists in Barbados that will be in the Mixology Competition. They are David Barker, Ryan Adamson, Damien Williams and Carl Henry.
Create authentic experiences
Wed, 11/16/2016 - 12:00am
“Unapologetically Barbadian.”
This is the message from CEO of the Barbados Tourism Product Authority (BTPA), Dr. Kerry Hall. She has reiterated the importance of authentic experiences and creating a destination for locals first that we can prosper and where tourism will also flourish.
Speaking recently at the launch of the Pork Cutter and Mixology Competition and Country Sizzle, the CEO said, “Our job at BTPA is to rejuvenate the industry. We want to showcase our country is world-class, but uncompromisingly 100 per cent Bajan. We are not just reinventing the wheel by throwing up water parks and million-dollar investments because we don’t have those resources, but we do welcome investment. However, what we are doing at this time is being very innovative and creative; we believe that being Bajan is good enough and we want to differentiate our product. Activities such as Country Sizzle is such a fantastic event; this is in the second year and we would love to run it throughout the year…”
Country Sizzle celebrates 50 years of Bajan cuisine at East Point Bar and Grill in St. Philip and the event will also feature a pork cutter competition and mixology competition scheduled for November 26.
Dr. Hall emphasised, “There are a lot of Barbadians doing fantastic work of the highest quality… At the event they will have local jams, local condiments, etc. and we will get to see our local chefs and mixologists create dishes and cocktails with local ingredients.
“Our ultimate goal is to create opportunities for entrepreneurs in Barbados. Tourism gets an authentic experience, and the economy does well…
“We have one of the richest cultures in the world… We are planning a rum and sugar festival. Rum was invented here, we need to take ownership of rum and people are travelling the world to go to places where things originated. Barbados has a story that is so fascinating, we need to promote what is Barbados. We need to fight back as a destination with a bold and creative response and that is what we are doing, and we want to incorporate the local community; that is the only way that we can build a sustainable tourism industry. Events such as Country Sizzle go with the overall vision of creating a sustainable industry.” (NB)