Red Caps here to stay
Those who have been longing to see airport porters known as “Red Caps” eventually removed from the airport, will be sorely disappointed.
Minister of Tourism and International Transport, Kerrie Symmonds has made it clear that they are part and parcel of the tourism product offering of Barbados, as they seek to deliver excellent service in the area of baggage assistance that can set the country apart from other destinations. Minister Symmonds called attention to the issue yesterday, as he delivered remarks at the opening ceremony for the Barbados Tourism Product Authority’s (BTPA) new Information Booth at the end of the Arrivals Hall at the Grantley Adams International Airport.
“In making the airport experience as wholesome as possible, we obviously must recognise that the time has come to make a definitive decision on the future and fate of those gentlemen and ladies that we call the “Red Caps”, which tends to be set aside as an issue that should not be discussed, because all too often, the easy and low hanging fruit is.. ‘Oh they shouldn’t be there, because in Miami, I don’t see them or in England I don’t see them, or wherever else in the world you come from, I don’t see them,” Symmonds commented.
“[However], Barbados sees them here. Barbados benefits from them being here. Barbados can stand out in terms of being distinct in terms of a welcoming environment, precisely because of the fact that you don’t see them in Miami,” he further remarked.
“What I have experienced in Miami and what I am sure you have experienced in Miami and other gateways to the United States of America, is a feeling that is not warm; is a feeling that is sometimes almost hostile; is a feeling that does not make you feel anything other than a sense of dread, because of the atmosphere that is created in the name of security and I don’t want that to be the experience here in Barbados,” Symmonds maintained.
“So for those who drooled with anticipation that there will be no more Red Caps and that they will be replaced by trolleys, and that will be a concession for another millionaire to make money out of this cause – that ain’t happening on this watch! It is not on the cards,” the Minister declared.