Virgin Group’s vow

Head of the Virgin Group, Sir Richard Branson says in respect of travel to the Caribbean from the United Kingdom, Brexit is a worry, so too is the drop in the British pound, but he is giving the assurance that his company is prepared to do its best to address any challenges that arise.

He made the comments as he noted that the Virgin Atlantic business in Barbados continues to do well and they are set by December to introduce the only direct London Heathrow to Barbados flight twice weekly, which would add to the flights already arriving to the island from Gatwick and Manchester. Additionally, he told the hundreds gathered for the Virgin Atlantic ‘Business is an Adventure’ Leadership Conference at the Hilton Hotel, that they also hope to bring Virgin Voyages, their cruise line currently in the making, to Barbados someday soon as well.

“…If you keep Barbados beautiful, we’ll keep coming,” he said.

The global entrepreneur icon spoke to the above as he informed those present of several ventures being undertaken by the company going forward, including its space initiative, which is aimed at creating the world’s first commercial spaceline. Sir Richard was in fact the headliner yesterday at Leadership Conference, which also saw participants receiving insightful information about leadership and business acumen for success from top Virgin Group executives Alex Tai and Scott Hilton-Clarke, as well as Principal of the Cave Hill Campus of the University of the West Indies, Professor Eudine Barriteau; President and Group Chief Executive Officer of the Massy Group, Gervase Warner; Chief Executive Officer, Branson Centre for Entrepreneurship – Caribbean, Lisandra Rickards and Consultant Gynaecologist and Head of the Barbados Fertility Centre, Dr. Juliet Skinner.

Touching more on the tourism industry within the region, Sir Richard said he strongly believes that greater focus should be placed on the marine environment throughout the Caribbean. Sir Richard suggested that with tourism being a mainstay for many Caribbean countries including Barbados, focus should be placed on ensuring the longevity of marine environment which is one of the things that visitors find attractive.

“At the moment in Barbados, the important thing you have is tourism; and why do people come to Barbados? They come for the beauty and they come for the species in the oceans off Barbados, and so a much greater priority should be put on that,” he said.

Using the example of game reserves in Africa, where wildlife animals live safely and are popular attractions among tourists, the British business tycoon is adamant that a greater effort has to be put in place to protect the coral reefs and the marine life in the waters off the islands. (JRT)