TRAVEL partners from across North America and Canada joined local tourism officials recently during the inaugural virtual Spirit of Barbados MegaFAM, hosted by the Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc. (BTMI).

Over the past three years, travel agents were given an opportunity to visit Barbados and see the sights and sounds and “sell” those experiences to their clients. This year, the COVID-19 pandemic put a halt to that initiative. However, feedback from the travel agents and other local and international partners attending the virtual event indicated that the BTMI still managed to capture what Barbados has to offer during the whole-day MegaFAM extravaganza.

Aspects of Barbadian life were highlighted during the destination immersion segment including the Tuk Band, pottery with Maggie Bell and attractions such as off-roading, the Marizayra’s Sanctuary and a sea turtles release, which were all well-received by those in attendance. One of the segments also focused on the COVID-19 travel protocols where persons expressed their concerns and sought clarity on aspects of the testing and quarantine process.

Minister of Tourism and International Transport, Senator Lisa Cummins, also joined the virtual event, noting that over 700 joined online.

Senator Cummins used the opportunity to thank airlines from the US and Canada for continuing to fly to Barbados, including the speciality flights especially business class customers coming to enjoy the 12-month Welcome Stamp initiative.

“We’ve offered you the opportunity to be a tourist for a year while you are working and avoiding lockdown in your home country. We are very pleased that many of our airline partners are putting on special flights to allow those persons to come to Barbados. We are looking forward to welcoming those persons too and later in the year, we expect that WestJet will join the family of airline partners who will be again flying to Barbados.

“We here in Barbados are so pleased to have partners like you, partners in the international industry who are collectively working with us here in Barbados, your home away from home, to ensure you are able to offer a safe destination for safe travellers and to make sure you have nothing but a safe vacation.

“You may not be able to take the stroll along the beach right now ... but we look forward to having you when you can do all of that, but in the meantime we are going to be telling you all about what Barbados is preparing for you when you are ready to come back.

Interim Chairman of the BTMI, Petra Roach, also thanked the industry partners for their work. “We are so appreciative of the hard work and dedication that you, the travel agents, put into your loyalty and support for Barbados. We say it often, but we can never say it often enough. We are very privileged to have a family because that is what we have become – a family of travel agents, travel advisors who really are the extended family to the BTMI. You are always welcome.

“We have recognised that people have stopped and taken stock and recognised that life is fragile and unpredictable. What we are doing here on the island is crafting a new re-entry brand campaign which talks about filling your soul; which talks about doing things different. People want to see how they can contribute and be better global citizens. People want to see how they can contribute and get involved in helping people who may not be as fortunate as they are. People want to contribute and share their knowledge, because we recognise that working collaboratively together, we can absolutely defeat any of the challenges that come upon us,” she said.

Business Development Officer in the USA, Eusi Skeete, stressed the importance of travel advisors to the industry. “You are a fundamental component of what we do, and our industry would never be the same without you as our travel partners.

“Barbados remains committed and we recognise the absolutely important role that you play and you have demonstrated time and time again, especially during this crisis, why it is important that we should always encourage consumers to book directly with our travel advisor partners.”

BTMI Director, Canada, Peter Mayers, said this virtual experience could not have come at a better time. “Only last week one of the trade publications in Canada, Travel Week, spoke specifically to the impact they think travel agents will have coming out of COVID. I thought this was good – the fact that the value of the travel agents – they feel – has risen. The fact that we are doing this today, bringing agents together for a slice of Barbados for the entire day, I think is timely and I think it certainly shows our commitment to the travel agent community and the role that we expect them to play as we emerge from COVID-19.

“We want to thank you for what you have had to endure over the last seven months in terms of the travel industry. For your constant engagement and refreshing spirit, even at a time when flights were cancelled, borders were shut and the outlook appeared and some would say, still appear uncertain. But you have been resolute, you stuck with us and on behalf of Destination Barbados we want to thank you and commit to you our continued support.

“There was a period of time where the narrative suggested that travel agents were a dying breed and their role was being questioned, the value they brought to the travel process. We have walked through that process and saw how that wasn’t exactly true. Here we are at another stage of crisis, albeit significantly more, the same thing again, and you are getting the sense that persons of all ages and stages are seeing the value of the travel agent ... guiding us through what travel will look like post-COVID.” (JH)

In making certain demands of their former employees at this time, workers put on the breadline due to the Covid-19 pandemic are caught up in “a parade of selfishness”.

This was the opinion shared by Political Scientist Peter Wickham as he spoke on the island’s current industrial climate.

Speaking on the impact Covid has had and continues to have on the tourism sector in leaving hundreds of Barbadians out of a job for several months, he said there were obvious implications of hotel workers demanding their outstanding holiday pay and severance in full from an industry which has earned very little this year.

“I think there is a convenient inclination in all of this for all of us to forget we are in very bizarre situation, and whether you are talking about not being paid severance or being paid salary in bonds, all of this is a reaction to the fact that the economy isn’t moving. When I hear a conversation being held about trade union leaders selling out the hotel workers as though agencies that run hotels that have not earned a dime since March would be in a position now to make full payments of severance and full payments of holiday pay as though there is a reserve of money stashed away and they are not paying the hotel workers for spite,” he added.

He pointed out that even though sunset legislation was implemented to allow employees the option to work shorter hours at the hotels to have some financial income, “some workers are saying they are not interested in that, that they want their money and they want to go.”

“All of this is what I consider to be a parade of selfishness and I am hearing it all over the place. So everybody is concerned about how the issue is affecting them personally and no one is taking a step back to look at the big picture,” he said.

Ponting to several other industries where similar attitudes were being expressed, Wickham, who was speaking on the Down to Brass Tacks radio call-in programme insisted, “People have to be a bit more understanding and a lot less anxious to judge in these types of situations.”

“I think this wave of anger as it reflects to trade unionism is grounded in nothing more than selfishness and an unwillingness to understand that we have some challenges we have to deal with that are

not peculiar to Barbados, but are happening globally,” the pollster contended.

JUST over 20 children between the ages of 11 and 16 are being empowered with critical life skills and tools to ensure they can navigate their world in a non-violent manner and elevate their level of thinking and communicating for the best outcomes.

Yesterday, they were part of the “Project Elevate: Peace Through Service Programme”, which was launched at the Police Boys and Girls Club in Bay Street, St. Michael. The initiative is a collaborative effort between the Juvenile Liaison Scheme and the Rotary Club of Barbados.

Kim Harris, Acting Sergeant with the Juvenile Liaison Scheme, accompanied by Arlene Ross, Director of the Rotary Club of Barbados, spoke in greater detail about the programme, which will run over the course of 12 weeks.

“We have recognised that our children (have had some) issues as it relates to violence within the schools, communities and at times, home. The Rotary Club would have approached us and we welcomed the opportunity to work with them, where we can implement or create modules or programmes to assist. So we are looking at conflict resolution, we are looking at building character, self-development, self-esteem, encouraging students to love themselves because if you can love yourself, you can love others. If you can respect yourself, you can respect others,” Harris pointed out.

“So we are really starting to get the children to come to a particular place where they can navigate for non-violent behaviour. The school really should be a violent-free zone. Children should be comfortable at school, they should feel comfortable walking on the streets, they should not have to worry about the issues of violence and being so afraid. So we are really trying to encourage our children to be peace ambassadors, to embark on this journey of advocating for peace,” she added.

Ross meanwhile stated, “We wanted to work with young people to deal with conflict resolution and to help them improve their communication and their mindsets and we thought it best to partner with the Juvenile Liaison Scheme.

“This is going to be a 12-week programme. We will meet here at the Boys and Girls Club every Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and we have various types of activities, because we want to build their confidence. We want to build that ability to communicate properly because I think when people can communicate, they can draw on their communication skills effectively, as opposed to resorting to other means of dealing with conflict,” she stressed.

Ross indicated that the skills of members of the Rotary Club will be utilised to assist the children and additional facilitators will be brought in as well to engage in motivational speaking assignments and other activities, to engage those in the programme. Harris meanwhile noted that there will also be a component for parents as well, to make them better aware of what their children are learning and to also help them better interact with their wards.

At the end of the 12-week programme, a Peace Jamboree will be held and those completing the programme will also receive certificates for their participation.

INDUSTRIAL action is brewing against one of the island’s largest providers of security services.

In a statement issued yesterday, it was noted that a team from the Barbados Workers’ Union (BWU), led by General Secretary Toni Moore, has informed Minister of Labour and Social Partnership Relations that the Executive Council will formalise in writing its intention to take industrial action against G4S Secure Solutions.

The action comes after more than five hours of talks on Friday evening, between the negotiating team of the BWU and G4S management, under the chairmanship of the Minister of Labour and Social Partnership Relations Colin Jordan. The parties reached no conclusion on the matters in dispute.

According to the statement, “The BWU is disappointed that G4S has shown no commitment to address its violation of the principle of equal pay for equal work by eliminating the pay gap of workers performing the same functions.

“G4S attended the meeting but failed to honour an earlier promise to table a proposal with a view to advancing the wages talks, thereby leaving no doubt that the company has no real interest in settling the dispute. It is the BWU’s position that this situation has reached an untenable level that will not be tolerated.”

According to the statement, the General Secretary of the BWU expressed the union’s resolve to continue its fight against G4S and other companies that seek to undermine the principles and system of industrial relations in Barbados.

Employees protested outside of the company’s Brighton headquarters twice last week with the BWU warning management of G4S and other companies not to renege on obligations made to staff.

SHE is an entertainer, a dancer and now, she has added the title of author to her repertoire.

Lead singer of the band 2 Mile Hill, Mahalia Cummins, has published a book. ‘Bajanisms’ was officially launched on Friday night and the private event was attended by some well-known local personalities including entertainers, Nikita Herbert and Faith Callender as well as members of the 2 Mile Hill band.

Addressing the gathering, Cummins explained that her book, which will be available island-wide from December 7, is one “that will pull you in and kind of make you feel like you are part of the whole experience, not just somebody reading words and reading definitions of words”.

She further stated that ‘Bajanisms’ is the ultimate Bajan handbook for non-nationals and nationals who want to learn more about words or phrases that are used locally and the origin or a breakdown or meaning of such.

“It has become kind of a slogan, but that is really what the book is. Reading the book from cover to cover, you should be able to understand 1,000 per cent more what you couldn’t understand before. If you are not familiar with Bajan and if you can’t remember some things, it is going to bring it back to mind. If you are just somebody who loves Barbados, it is going to make you feel a part of the culture. The ultimate Bajan handbook.”

Cummins said she is hoping the book will be put in schools across the island, so young persons can learn more about the Barbadian way of saying things.

“I haven’t done it as yet, but it is definitely in my thoughts because apart from being entertaining, engaging, it is also educational, even though that is not what I set out to do. It turned out to be a very educational piece of literature. We have a lot of young people out there that if our Bajanisms are not documented, they aren’t going to know what we are talking about. They are not going to know the origins of some phrases or words and not going to understand what their history is and that is really important.” (MG)

President of the Democratic Labour Party (DLP), Verla De Peiza, is accusing hotel owners of “heartlessly” abandoning dedicated workers and is demanding an appropriate response from Government to help address their plight.

Saying workers were given the option of including taking up training within the BEST programme if they opted to remain and a fast-tracked severance hearing before the Employment Rights Tribunal if National Insurance Scheme was called upon to pay the severance, she said the reality is that many were finding themselves in between a rock and a hard place.

“Reports are that those who remained are being pressured to accept much lower wages and disadvantageous working conditions, and those who opted for severance in light of the unfavourable terms in the sunset legislation have reached the point where the unemployment benefits have expired and they are left without guidance and no word on their severance,” she said.

Calling the whole matter “distasteful”, she called upon relevant ministries to bring relief to these individuals, many of whom are women and household heads.

“We call on the Minister of Labour and Social Partnership Relations to give details regarding the promised fast track: Are the tribunals already set up and functioning? What are the time limits for a matter to be heard? What is the time limit for payment? In respect of those who remained in work, what safeguards are there to protect the workers’ right to negotiate their contracts?

“We call on the several Ministers in the Ministry of Finance, Economic Affairs and Investment to address the country on the health of the National Insurance Severance Fund in light of the unprecedented numbers who qualify for severance; and to speak positively of the efforts to be expected to recoup the monies from the employers, several of whom receive their funding and capitalisation from outside of Barbados. We call on the Minister of People Empowerment and Elder Affairs to speak up and state what provisions are in place over this holiday season to ensure that families are provided for, especially as children will not have school meals available during the vacation,” the DLP head demanded.

In addition, De Peiza, an attorney-at-law, called on the Prime Minister to “give leadership on these issues to calm the brewing unrest in Barbados”, insisting these could only have negative consequences.

THE public is being reminded that COVID-19 is not yet behind us and they should continue to observe health and safety protocols as they move around this Christmas season.

This comes from Minister of Health and Wellness, Lt. Col. Jeffrey Bostic, who cautioned both young and old it only takes one person to spread the virus to others.

“I would like to ask Barbadians and those who reside here who are not Barbadians to continue to observe the protocols because that is very, very important.”

He continued, “We don’t have community spread, but all it takes is for us to have one case as we have had a few months ago where somebody else contracted the virus and then if you do not continue to keep your guard up, you do not know if that person is going to be the person sitting next to you in the ZR van, in the bus [or] at the bread shop. So that it is up to each and every one of us to continue to observe the protocols because if we keep ourselves safe, which is our personal and individual responsibility, then no matter what comes our way, we have a very good chance of remaining safe once we do the right things.”

Bostic was at the time speaking at Friday’s handover ceremony of a vehicle and medical supplies by the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) to the Ministry of Health and Wellness. This took place at the PAHO/WHO’s headquarters.

He urged Barbadians not to let down their guard this Yuletide season.

“As the Christmas season approaches, I urge everyone not to let down the guard. There are too many examples of what will happen across this region and the globe if we let down our guard. So enjoy Christmas when it comes, but enjoy Christmas keeping in the back of your minds that it is a Christmas in a COVID-19 environment, so it requires responding appropriately and accordingly.

Charities and philanthropic organisations in this island are being forced to adapt to significant issues being brought to the fore by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Program Development Co-ordinator for the Barbados Public Workers’ Co-operative Credit Union’s Legacy Foundation, Hanif Moore, said the facility successfully launched three projects to the tune of over $150,000 to assist Barbadians who “really needed that additional support during the pandemic”.

“What we found is that the pandemic highlighted some significant issues when we were forced to adapt in the last few months to address the needs that we didn’t previously catered for,” he said.

Speaking during the Invest Barbados hosted ‘We Gathering Virtually to Explore the Financial Investment Opportunities available to the Diaspora’ webinar held yesterday afternoon, he revealed that so far the fund has approved 23 projects, and invested $1 million in the funding of these.

Moore identified two of the key projects were conducted at the island’s main medical facility – the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, while others were done at the St. Leonard’s Boys’ School with the creation of a music studio, and a lab and standalone computer resource lab at the Charles F. Broome Primary School.

“For 2020 and beyond, we are looking to grow the Foundation’s donor base and this is where we appeal to members of the diaspora,” he said, noting marketing drives were conducted in Atlanta and Toronto to encourage the diaspora to invest in such endeavours.

“We want to increase the number of successful applicants. There is a challenge in people finding us, so we want to build awareness of the Foundation and we hope to do that through the diaspora as well and to strengthen the links of the Foundation and all of the group companies,” Moore stated, stressing the importance of working together for the betterment of the island. (JMB)

BE fair!

That’s the call from Minister of Labour and Social Partnership Relations, Colin Jordan, as he weighed in on the recent upsurge in public industrial disputes on the island, which he said is concerning.

In a media statement, Minister Jordan lamented that there is some callousness being demonstrated and suggested that there are some employers seeking to find ways to avoid paying their employees during this difficult period.

Acknowledging the hardship wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic, Minister Jordan stated, “This is not the time to seek only our own survival. This is not the time to throw others off the bus.

“This is a time to band together. This is a time to ensure that no one falls through the cracks. This is a time to be sensitive to the needs of others. This is the time to be our brother’s and sister’s keepers. This is a time to demonstrate our humanity.”

The Labour Minister further suggested that the dialogue that Barbados has become known for over the years is not being practised as it should.

“It is clear to me that there is a degree of callousness being exhibited by some, and it needs to stop immediately. None of us will survive alone or with only our families and close friends. Whether we realise it or not, we are in this together.

“I am calling on employers not to abandon their workers. I am calling on employers to continue to engage with their workers, even when workers are away from work on layoff. I am calling on employers not to hide behind laws and technicalities, but to be fair and reasonable when dealing with workers. People are unsure about the future. When there is fear, the slightest thing will cause a person to react.”

Saying that the workforce has been faced with psychological and emotional stress as a result of the pandemic, he expressed confidence that there will be a turnaround.

“It will call for facing our challenges with level heads, and kind, unselfish hearts. This is a time to demonstrate maturity. This is a time to act like the adults we say we are.

“There will be life after COVID-19 and Barbados must be in a position to emerge from this pandemic even stronger than we were when it struck. If this is to happen, we must keep talking with each other and we must keep working together to find solutions. We can do it, but only if we do it together.”

Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley is promising to look at how best to get children back into the schools.

She spoke to this recently as she delivered the feature address during the Leadership Badge Presentation Ceremony held at the Garfield Sobers Gymnasium to present Head boys and Head girls across the private and public, primary and secondary schools, with their badges.

“Many of you have already spoken to me and to the Minister of Education about your strong desire to get back to school and we hear you, and we are going to start the conversations to see how best we can get you back into that regular place. Because school is not only about what you learn in textbooks or on the screens, school is also about your ability to learn, to mix with, play with and be together with all of your friends, the ones who are older and the ones who are younger and we get it and we want you to get back there as soon as possible,” she stated.

Mottley added, “It is possible that we may have to put on some additional classes to make up the deficit and we may have to do that through 2021 as soon as it is safe and possible to do so.”

Speaking earlier, Minister of Education, Technological and Vocational Training, Santia Bradshaw told those present that the Government is doing as much as it can to keep the students and teachers safe and to find the “best model” to ensure that learning can continue.

“I want to start a conversation with you shortly and across Barbados with our students, about the type of education system that you also want to see for the future. I want to hear about the concerns that many of you have, because as Head boys and Head girls, I’m sure you are interacting with other students who have concerns about education, concerns about the online environment, blended approach, all of those things. And it is important that you have a say, just as your parents have a say in various forums, just like your teachers will have a say, just like our principals have a say, and just like the general public has a say,” Bradshaw assured them.

She made the point while contending that it is her firm belief that changes cannot be made to the way in which teaching and learning occurs, unless they hear from the students who will be impacted.

“...We as a government have been doing so much to ensure we change up the curriculum, make it more relevant to you; make sure that students who believe that they may not be academic, but they have technical and vocational skills... also have an equal opportunity. We want to make sure that we tailor make everything we do as a Government to respond to what you as young people also want us to change in our society,” she added. (JRT)

THIS country is expected to have a new statistics act soon.

That’s the word from Minister in the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Investment, Marsha Caddle, who said the Government is intent on putting greater emphasis on data transparency. She spoke about the plans recently, while speaking during a webinar hosted by the Latin American Development Bank (CAF) regarding its Report on “Integrity in Public Policy: Keys to Prevent Corruption”.

“We are in the process of developing a new statistics act and establishing an independent sta-tistics and data analytics authority. Now that independence is going to be very important, because it is going to mean that there is going to be certain direct reporting to the people and to the Parliament of Barbados that was not in place before,” she stated.

Minister Caddle added that if data is going to be made transparent and there will be freedom of information, it is vital that the data is reliable and “well done”.

“It has to be true, it has to be defendable, and so it is important that countries spend the time in making sure that data is good data. I have seen cases where we have these freedom of information acts that don’t necessarily, because of the data, lead to better information; that’s a very important point to make,” Minister Caddle told those attending the webinar.

She went on to say that the Government is also working on establishing a public investment dashboard, which would provide the public with details on public investment projects.

“There are often questions asked about certain public investment projects and how was the procurement done, who are the principals and so on. And we think it is important that people see exactly what is the level of Government expenditure on a project; where is the financing coming from; where is it going; [and] what are the reasons for delays, because sometimes delays are real, and there is something behind them that is not nefarious,” she said.

The Minister continued, “So what we are doing, is first trying to get all of this information in place for those who manage the public sector investment programme to be able to clearly do our work, to be able to track progress and then once we have established that and it is reliable, to be able to share that with the public.”

She indicated that with the establishment of the dashboard, persons will be able to see, for major projects, the data behind them and how the projects are progressing. Her comments came as she said that data transparency and modernisation are the keys to making sure that people have “solid access to public office”. (JRT)

In spite of the challenges presented by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, teachers and students of the Alleyne School were still able to rise to the challenge and achieve many of the goals set for the academic school year.

Principal of the Alleyne School, Julia Beckles acknowledged the above as she delivered the Principal’s Report, as the school held its annual Speech Day & Prize Giving Ceremony in its auditorium recently, under the theme “Surpassing Adversity Through Resilience”.

During the ceremony, many students were rewarded for their success in varying areas of school life. It was a day of celebration, as the school reflected upon the achievements of its staff and students, during the past academic year 2019 to 2020.

“It would have been easy to have written this speech in one sentence. It would probably have gone like this – COVID-19 came and therefore, there is nothing to report. However, that is certainly not the case for us at Alleyne School,” the Principal remarked.

“Certainly, as a community of practice and professionals, we have tasted adversity in 2020 at the hands of COVID-19, but we have emerged stronger and more resilient, as we were forced to dig deep and devise strategies for survival, in this new season,” Beckles maintained.

The school’s Principal shared with those gathered how the school was forced to adapt to the demands of the COVID-19 pandemic.

She noted that the student population was divided into two groups – A and B, with the groups accessing the physical campus on a rotational basis, as those at home were engaged online via the Google Classroom, all in an effort to facilitate the necessary physical distancing requirements, in keeping with health and safety protocols. Students were meanwhile lauded for having successfully completed the CSEC and CAPE exams, given the changes brought about by the pandemic.

Featured speaker Pierre Cooke, a past student and Head Boy, who is at present studying law and who serves as “Prime Minister” in the Barbados National Youth Parliament and Technical Advisor to the Healthy Caribbean Coalition (HCC), meanwhile encouraged the students to believe in themselves and to take responsibility for their own learning. He also stressed the need for them to attach to themselves, positive labels of affirmation.

Students awarded

In the area of prize-giving, students were awarded for their achievements in the areas of academics, sports, leadership and extracurricular activities.

Prizes were presented by past student Ms. Tonya Stephen and Senior Education Officer Mrs. Kaylene Kellman-Holder. Some of the special prizes presented included the Dr. Joseph Richards Memorial Prize For Excellent Results in CSEC Examinations, which was donated by Ainsley Lovell and presented to Erisha Husbands. She also received The Ashby Jordan Memorial Prize For Excellence on the Principal’s Honour Roll. The Cyril Thompson Memorial Prize For Best CSEC Results which was donated by Henderson Wiltshire was given to Tawanna Farley and The Elliott Williams Memorial Challenge Trophy For The Best Results In Entrepreneurship at CAPE Unit 2, which was donated by Mr. Ralph “Bizzy” Williams, was awarded to Denica Scott. She also received the Vallis Jemmott Prize for Best results in CAPE Unit 2 and the George Beckles Prize for the Best CAPE Results. (RSM)

The roll out of the Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine in England is good news for Barbados, says a top regional economist.

However, Dr. Justin Ram, the Economic/Technical Advisor to the Prime Minister made it clear to members of Intimate Hotels of Barbados (IHB) that this doesn’t mean an instant recovery of the island’s tourism sector.

“I believe that there is going to be a lot of pent-up demand for persons wanting to travel and Barbados I think will be oneof those destinations that people will definitely want to come to,” he said, also warning that going forward competition will be stiff.

He told the small hoteliers gathered for IHB’s recent end-of year meeting that while hotels may see a return in the number of visitors, return to hotel profitability will be slow.

Dr. Ram explained that countries around the world also want to attract the same British tourists, and advised that local properties offer discounts so travellers are enticed to choose Barbados.

“Because tourism has been down across the world, we are likely to see a number of discounts being given to tourists because people in Thailand will want the tourists to come there, Greece will want tourists to go there, just as we would want them to come to Barbados. So, we are going to have to compete with that, so our average daily rate is likely to be heavily discounted for some time, and I think that is what we have to pay particular attention to,” he said.

Dr. Ram said that Barbados maynot see a return to pre-COVID arrivals numbers until towards the end of 2022.

“But your profitability may take a bit longer – might take maybe a year after that to recover. But I think that your average daily rates in real terms perhaps will not return to where they should be maybe by 2023/2024,” the economist pointed out.

“So, you will see the numbers perhaps coming because of all the pent-up demand, but because there is going to be such a demand for those tourists all around the world everybody is going to be discounting. And so, the arrivals might be up but not your profitability, that’s why now is the time to transform because you have to think about how you reduce your costs because ultimately if your average daily rate might be down you obviously have to do something on your costs to help you improve on your profitability”. (TL)

As companies continue to grapple with the negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and look to the future, a regional marketing and advertising specialist, says it cannot be business as usual if they want to increase their visibility and keep their doors open.

Carla Williams Johnson, Chief Executive Officer and founder of the Trinidad-based Carli Communications, is telling businesses not to be afraid to seek professional help. In fact, as she reflected on the pandemic, Williams Johnson said when it comes to major crises, it is people like herself that need to come to the forefront to inform business owners about what they should focus on and do to stay in business.

Marketing an investment

She made the point in a recent interview with The Barbados Advocate, as she made it clear that business owners must stop seeing marketing as an expense and see it instead as an investment in their business. Williams Johnson warned that if businesses are not willing to embrace the change that is needed and to pivot, making the necessary adjustments to their strategy, delivery and operations, it will likely result in the demise of their companies.

“Definitely invest in the help that you need. It might seem counterintuitive, because you may say you don’t have the money, but I don’t think you can afford not to invest, if you don’t have the specific knowledge and expertise in order to navigate the business environment. Investing in yourself and investing in the people you need is the way to go,” she stated.

The marketing specialist continued, “A lot of people think that investment and expense are the same thing, it really isn’t. An expense is where you spend for no returns, an investment is investing for future returns... A lot of business owners, because marketing is not tangible they can’t understand it is an investment. It is like education, it is an investment now for future earnings. So investing in an expert is just the same thing, investing now for future earnings”.

She made the point while noting that for too long businesses have not been taking marketing seriously, and have either been engaging in do-it-yourself (DIY) marketing or utilising persons who are not properly trained and lack the requisite know-how.

“There are some people who genuinely don’t know what to do, and they have been DIYing their business marketing. Maybe someone told them you need to be on Facebook and that was the beginning and end of the conversation, oh you need to do sampling and that was the beginning and end of the conversation. There was no strategy behind it, so they are doing all of these things and it is almost as though they are running on a treadmill, because they do not have the component behind it in order to make their time and energy and investment pay off. What I do is connect the dots for my people, which is what I find a lot of people don’t do”.

She continued, “Marketing is not a one size fits all, every business has its own puzzle and the pieces will be different for it to fit together. So bring in somebody that can help you. There are a lot of people like myself that are offering free consultations...  so you don’t have to shell out money until you are sure that this person can truly help”.

The marketing specialist, adding that marketing is not supposed to be reactive, said businesses are supposed to know their customers inside out and “know exactly what their needs are, and provide those needs for them before they even ask for it”.

“Moving forward I would strongly suggest that more businesses change their content, to really connect and relate to their audience, that is going to drive more sales than just hard selling. The next thing is to increase your brand awareness, through the use of the media, publicity, features and podcasts, because you want not just to be seen and heard, but you want to build that credibility behind you,” she indicated. (JRT)

Media practitioners have critical roles to play in the ongoing process involving educating, advocating, representing, ques-tioning and contributing to the best public health outcome in Front of Package Nutrition Warning Labels (FOPNWL).

President of Healthy Caribbean Coalition (HCC), Sir Trevor Hassell made this statement during the Journalists Sensitisation and Panel Discussion, “Public Health Matters, COVID-19 and FOPL” last week.

The HCC President added that the training session’s aim is to increase awareness and build support of Caribbean journalists.  Sir Trevor said that over the past two years, there has been intense negotiations and discussions in a process led at a regional level on the issue.

The objectives of the sensitisation are to increase awareness among senior journalists in the Caribbean of the importance of strong healthy food policy, namely front of package nutrition warning labels (FOPNWL),and support meaningful discussion around FOPNWL among senior journalists in the Caribbean. The event organisers also wanted to build support among senior journalists in the Caribbean for adoption of Front of Package Nutrition Warning Label standards,  which contributes to HCC’s larger goal to build public and policymaker support for strong food policy, namely Front of Package Nutrition warning labels through earned media.

Current label packaging is inadequate

It is noted that the current back of package and front of package labels are confusing and do not assist consumers in making healthy choices. Forty-four per cent (3.1 million) of all deaths in this region are attributed to high blood pressure, high blood sugar, and overweight and obesity. Excess intake of sugars, total fats, saturated fats, trans fats and sodium are driven largely through the consumption of ultra-processed foods which are poorly labelled and heavily marketed particularly in low-and-middle income settings and emerging unregulated markets such as those in the Caribbean.

Participants included Mr. Amitabh Sharma, Jamaica Gleaner; Emmanuel Joseph, Barbados Today and President of Barbados Association of Journalists and Media Workers (BARJAM), Garfield Burford, Antigua and Barbuda Broadcasting Services (ABS) and Lisa Bayley,  Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).

THE future is farming.

That’s the message shared during a virtual Future Farmers forum hosted by the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) which was held yesterday.

The objective of the forum was to acquire cross-sectoral support for youth in agriculture, to understand the policies, projects and other initiatives currently in place to support young agripreneurs and to inspire hope, collaboration and innovation among members of the future farmers group.

IICA representative Ena Harvey made it clear that agriculture is not dead, even though some persons held that view in the past. “For us at IICA Barbados, the launch of this forum represents our commitment to the youth and hope and optimism for the future of agriculture. A future on which our youth can stamp their own legacy for their future generations. Start their legacy with innovative technologies and with the confidence that support is available, in terms of policy, technical assistance, funding, mentorship and recognition.

Executive Director of Barbados Environmental Conservation Trust Tamaisha Eytle also commended the initiative noting that the Trust, which is in its second year, decided that the Future Farmers would have been one of its first projects.

“IICA youth farm has been going on for many years and it was very important that we highlight what they have been doing. At the Trust we look at supporting organisations and initiatives that have that holistic approach to sustainability. So it is more than just a youth farm, it is an important facet in our agricultural food chain here in Barbados. We wanted to make sure as a Trust we support initiatives in ways that don’t normally traditionally get supported.”

“Many organisations and NGOs here in Barbados and globally suffer from doing great work but no one knows about it, so we want to make sure we are supporting these initiatives to ensure that nationally it is better known and that the work of the youth is highlighted.”

During the forum, attendees were given an opportunity to hear directly from young agripreneurs Keriah Scantlenury on crop production, Kiara Riley on agro processing and Ravindra Chandan in aquaculture. They highlighted the challenges and successes of being a young agripreneur and plans to expand their business.

Young farmer Jonathan Griffin also highlighted the challenges facing urban youth, many of whom are faced with property restrictions and a lack of access to land to go about starting their own business. He also called for a synergy to be made between renewable energy and young agripreneurs who could benefit from lower costs in the long run, while protecting the environment.

The forum also brought together stakeholders who are supporting local agricultural development and agribusiness to dialogue and build partnerships with young people.

A Think Tank was also launched during the Future Farmers forum. (JH)

An award-winning Barbadian entrepreneur, innovator, scientist and scholar views the training and retraining of teachers as imperative.

“Our teachers need to be re-trained all through the region – from the Primary all the way through to University, but especially in the primary school,” Dr. Cardinal Warde insisted.

The professor of Electrical Engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) comments came while contributing to The University of the West Indies (UWI) Five Island Campus – Public Advocacy Series on “The Future of Work in the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Region”.

He explained, “Because all the time our primary school teachers are asked to teach subjects that they don’t really know very well”.

Dr Warde also pointed out that a good teacher can make subjects deemed as “difficult” interesting, “That good teacher can turn on a student to a subject that might be considered difficult such as Mathematics, and if you get them hooked early maybe they would realise that God gave them a gene for Mathematics and they are good at it”.

“Whereas a horrible teacher can turn off that student and that gene would never be active. And they might think they could never do Maths and they don’t like it”.

“We have a lot of Einsteins in the region and I think we need our teaching staff to be there to excite them; to guide them; and show them what the possibilities are,” he further expressed.

Two local public primary schools recently were the recipients of the 2020 Chinese Ambassador’s Award.

This was separately presented to the St. Stephen’s Primary School and Charles F. Broome Memorial Primary School during virtual ceremonies held last Wednesday morning.

It was explained by Co-Director at the Confucius Institute at the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus, David Bulbulia that this “is the first time, certainly as far as we are aware where the [Chinese] Ambassador’s Award has been extended to schools.”

He said previously “it was extended to students enrolled in the Chinese language programmes here at the university” but on this occasion, it is also being given to the primary schools where Chinese language and culture is being taught.

In his address during the ceremonies, Ambassador to the People’s Republic of China in Barbados, Yan Xiusheng congratulated students of both schools on the progress they have made in learning Mandarin. He asked them to build on the knowledge gained.

“I encourage you to learn more from your Chinese teachers, to practise more with whomever can speak Chinese, including me of course, to explore and experience China with what you have mustered, gradually building up your professional skills and widening your international advising and I hope that the Chinese Ambassador’s Award can help in this regard.”

He also asked them to “please never forget why you started to learn Chinese or another new language. You are supposed to become an official ambassador to build a bridge between different cultures to know each other better, to work with people from all over the world to create a better life for all countries and people on this planet and to build a community with a shared future for mankind.”

In his remarks, Principal of St. Stephen’s Primary, Dr. Collin Cumberbatch said this year the school faced many unforeseen challenges and during the national lockdown, Mandarin classes could not be facilitated. This however was rectified when face-to-face classes resumed in later months.

Dr. Cumberbatch used the occasion to request that material on Chinese language and culture be provided in the virtual reality format. He said these will be used in the school’s virtual reality classroom. He additionally in his addressed voiced his support of Chinese language being taught at St. Stephen’s.

“The teaching of Mandarin in this school has featured prominently for five years and as long as the facilitators are available, I pledge to ensure that it remains a part of the curricular offerings in this school for many, many years to come. Your donation this morning will not only help us provide materials and equipment for the effective delivery of the curricular content in Mandarin but also, in the other subject areas as well.”

Charles F. Broome Memorial Primary’s Principal, Dr. Monica Walton similarly shared her support of Mandarin being taught at that school. In her remarks, she also spoke about the Global E-pals Initiative which the school is hoping to start in 2021.

“Ambassador and Mr. Bulbulia, you can help us with this one because we are looking at communicating with schools in China. For our students to have e-pals, or what was commonly known as pen pals, with students of similar ages in China and they can communicate [during] some virtual sessions we will hope to have, as well as a via email and so on.”

An appeal has gone out for members of the public to become a friend of Variety- The Children’s Charity.

Immediate Past Chief Barker of the Charity, Jacqui McDermott said this is one of the ways individuals can assist the organisation. She said this can be done through making a cash donation or by volunteering.

She shared this while noting this year has been tough for the charity. Giving some details, she said the Charity has had to do more with less, it has had to “cut expenses” and it was unable to stage some of its major fundraisers owing to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We actually did have to cut our office, work from home instead. We had to look at the staffing, so we have reduced some of our staff to reduce the overheads in order to then get back to the roots and see what we can do with that.”

She continued, “There is a way that you can help us and that is by becoming a friend of Variety. For just $60 a year, you could sign up and be a friend of ours and that money would go towards the different projects over the year as opposed to just at certain times in the year…You sign up, you can either send us money or cheque. We will keep you updated in all the different things the Charity is doing and also, if you want to volunteer with us, we would love people to volunteer.”

McDermott was speaking to The Barbados Advocate while at last week Saturday’s Charity’s Christmas Fair for Charity and Clear Out for Charity events which were held simultaneously inside and on the grounds of Harbour Lights.

Looking ahead to 2021, she said, “Everybody has had to look at the world very differently, so we have to think differently too as a charity. So we are looking to reinvent ourselves and still become relevant and still do things which help the community but we just have to think of maybe different ways to do that.”

Despite the effects of COVID-19, Barbadian shoppers are crowding the popular Swan Street and Broad Street and standing in long lines to enter financial institutions, while street vendors experience slow sales and hardship.

On Monday, the Barbados Advocate visited Bridgetown to chat with local vendors about the upcoming Christmas season. With many people coping with unemployment and underemployment, sales for produce vendors have been disappointing.

In Cheapside, a vendor who requested anonymity explained that recently several economic and environmental factors have affected his revenue.

The vendor said one of the biggest challenges is a lack of seasonal vegetables and produce, including peas, corn, and nuts. The seller also revealed he lost $800 in beans due to spoilage and he is finding it difficult to get specific items to sell.

He acknowledged there is a decrease in customers, mainly overseas visitors and locals. He added that heavy rainfall is destroying crops, and pests and expensive herbicides are also contributing factors. The Cheapside vendor, who has been operating in the area for three years, said this is the worst period.

The vendor noted that more people are selling fresh produce in Bridgetown and around the island. With more vendors and fewer customers, the street seller said this is making it harder for City vendors to make a living. He argued that the high cost of local and imported products means that customers are more selective about what they shop for and where they shop.

Long bank lines and little social distancing in busy streets

While vendors in Cheapside, Palmetto, and Marhill Street are not seeing customers, merchants and shop owners in Swan Street are seeing more commercial activity. Shoppers are buying essential items, foods, cosmetics and household items. With the large crowds, there is little social distancing, but store owners continue to take temperatures and encourage customers to sanitise their hands. However, The Barbados Advocate observed that some dispensers in a few stores had little sanitiser in them.

On the main street, there was a hive of activity with long lines snaking around the buildings of the main banks and credit unions.