Country seeing a boom in yachting tourism
BARBADOS continues to make a successful return to yachting tourism while broadening the opportunity for more visitor arrivals and spending on the island.
Peter Gilkes, one of the principals involved in the industry, has told the Barbados Advocate that the yachting programme is moving ahead steadily by way of Government support.
“We are presently receiving 55 yachts that sailed from Europe to Barbados,” he said. Those yachts took part in the Barbados 50 Transatlantic Rally.
Come next month this country will be hosting the annual Mount Gay Round The Island Race Series 2017. Then later in the year and in June to be exact, there will be two very large sailing events, which could see between 750 and 800 persons on the island over the three week period of the races.
Gilkes recalled that Barbados had worked with Jimmy Cornell back in 1986 when he was the founder of the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC) and that “we have not played host to any such type of event since 1989 until the hosting of the Barbados 50”.
He explained that each of the 55 yachts coming into Barbados will be carrying a crew of between five and six persons and that this will be followed by a second event leaving Europe in early January that will see another 25 yachts coming to Barbados.
Most of these yachts cost in excess of Bds $1million and many of these owners are starting out on their Round The World Adventure with Barbados being the first stop for many of them.
“We have had coming out of this event many family and friends coming to the island and staying in hotels to rendezvous with the arriving crew and yachts,’ he stated.
According to him, “Some of these yachts and their crews will be in Barbados until February of next year so the crews will continue to spend money on day to day living expenses.”
Gilkes also sees this as an opportunity for Barbadians “in the marine industries to make some money as these arriving yachts have come in and used the services of locals for such repairs as engine repairs, sail repairs, transmission repairs and generator servicing and repairs.”
On the proposed June 2017 events, Gilkes pointed out that the smaller boats taking part will be shipped to Barbados in 40-foot containers and that the sailers will race for 10 days. Their families will also be on the island.
Two events will be hosted: the Finn Masters Barbados World’s and the OK Class Barbados World’s.
“These two events should place 350 boats in Carlisle Bay and we expect around 750 to 800 persons on the island over the three weeks of hosting the event,” he remarked.
The official said the yachting programme has been receiving the support of the Minister and Ministry of Tourism and International Transport, and the Barbados Tourism and Marketing Incorporated. The removal of Import Duty on equipment in Charter fishing and Coastal cruise boats and the removal of the duty on visiting yachts staying more than six months in Barbados, also contributed. (JB)
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