Tourism caution

James Paul, chief executive officer of the Barbados Agricultural Society (BAS).

Mon, June 18, 2012 - 12:08 AM

THIS ISLAND’S All-IMPORTANT tourism industry will face problems similar to those affecting the sugar industry if too much pressure continues to be placed on it.

This warning came yesterday from chief executive officer of the Barbados Agricultural Society (BAS), James Paul, who wants the productive and service sectors to help each other, rather than end up in conflict.

“The same stage that sugar is in now, tourism will come to that stage too because we don’t seem to understand when we are putting too much on a sector to bear,” he said.

“The thing is, we have to ask ourselves: ‘How do we develop agriculture in general in such a way that it coexists with other sectors, with the other sectors playing a role’?”

Read the full story in today's DAILY NATION.

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Posted by Mary Yearwood 11 months, 1 week ago: I would suggest, Mr. Paul, that you embark on an overhaul of how employees in both groups interact with each other and the public, including tourists. On the two occasions that I have been in Barbados within the last three years, I have witnessed or experienced for myself the complacency with which those who offer services to not only visitors, but also to the public at large, treat consumers. They are rude and unprofessional (about half of them). When you conduct business you should also be concerned with how to garner repeat customers, which is what will make the product offering viable, and will be sustained through word of mouth. Starting with the Red Caps, since these are the second set of Barbadian workers visitors will encounter, besides immigration officials. They need professional development in order to help them greet and interact with visitors professionally. I actually saw a female Red Cap purposely push the cart filled with a tourist's luggage into another visitor who was in the way, without saying excuse me or sorry. I, myself went into town to purchase a Top Up, and walked out of the store after I decided to hold what I wanted to say to the clerk at the tip of my tongue. Professionalism and good communication is the key.

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Posted by Frank Husbands 11 months ago: Tourism is not in any way comparable to the sugar industry.These doomsday people that want to see Barbados tourism fall don't have the faintest idea how strong Barbados tourism is.First, once there is a winter there will be a tourist season. Secondly tourist will always come here despite of those who run the tourist industry. Barbados tourism didn't start in the sixties with it's first minister of tourism Peter Morgan but was around long time ago even before Rachel Pringle.
When the two bit small players that dominate our tourism industry fold up mega bucks investors are out there awaiting to step in to dominate it. Our tourism industry's problem is too many mom and pop operators.An educated class that don't know anything about waiting tables but feel they know how to run a service industry. The last outgoing president of the BHTA is not even bilingual yet he feels he can woo the Brazilian market.
Despite the bumbling bureaucrats, the substandard service and all else that is wrong with our tourism product we still have a quality product thanks to the lovely island itself and its beautiful people.
Unlike Tin,Coffee, Bauxite and Sugar whose commodity prices were driven in the ground by developed economies those said economies have no control over their barren winter or Barbados beautiful all year round weather.Barbados will have to sink to the bottom of the ocean for it's tourism to stop.