Prime Minister Freundel Stuart as he thanked Jean and Terry Hough, who are on their 28th visit to the island.
By:
Janelle Husbands
WITH visitor arrivals in Barbados’ Jubilee year surpassing the 2015 long stay visitor record, Prime Minister the Rt Hon Freundel Stuart has expressed confidence that with work, 2017 can be a third consecutive record-breaking year for arrivals.
His comments came during the first in the series of four repeat visitor receptions, which was held at his official residence at Ilaro Court on Wednesday night.
The Prime Minister told the specially invited guests, “The year 2015… we had 592 000 long stay visitors visit Barbados and that was supposed to be a record. During our Jubilee year we were able to attract, according to my advice, 610 000 long stay visitors to Barbados, which is supposed to be another record.”
While thanking all the tourism stakeholders for their role in promoting the island and making these records a reality, he said there is nothing which states the records must come to an end in 2016.
“I therefore confidently expect that at the end of the year 2017, it will be reported to me that we have had 650 000 visitors visit Barbados,” he said.
The Prime Minister noted that while Barbados’ main source market continues to be the United Kingdom, greater effort can be given to increase the arrivals from the other, main source destinations in order to break the record once again. Stressing that he is not complaining about the numbers from the UK, he said there is nothing wrong with the US or Canada taking over the top spot.
“What that would mean of course is that we get the English to continue to come but you get more Americans and more Canadians and that would get to the 650 000 that I expect to see here in Barbados in the year 2017,” he challenged.
Prime Minister Stuart thanked the visitors for continuing to choose Barbados – some of whom have visited the island 30, 40 times and, in the case of the Thorley’s from the UK, 73 times – and for continuing to choose Barbados as their second home.
He noted that while other destinations have sun, sea and sand, visitors always state that their main reason for returning is the warmth and hospitality of the people of Barbados.
“They don’t behave as though they have never seen potholes in the roads in their lives and they do not behave as though their societies are crime free or anything of the kind. They understand the real world and in spite of the fact that from time to time you may have these inconveniences, which are really transitory inconveniences, the warmth and hospitality of the people of Barbados is what keeps them coming.
“That’s the magnet that attracts them to this society. It is on that that successive governments in Barbados have worked consistently, insistently and persistently ever since we embarked on this tourism journey. Because we know that no matter how perfect our roads are, no mater how beautiful our hotel plant may be, no matter how easy it is to get through our ports of entry, no matter how cheap or how low our cost of living may be, if when they come to Barbados the people of Barbados appear to be hostile to them, those other things will not matter and they will find somewhere else to go,” he said.
The guests were greeted by students of the Ellerslie school and entertained by students of the Bay Primary, accompanied by Dr. Anthony “Gabby” Carter on guitar, and directed by Nicole Brathwaite. They were also treated to a performance by five-year-old Kenaz “Bit Bit” Walker. (JH)
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