In the studio: Minister of Tourism Richard Sealy (left) and secretary-general of the Caribbean Tourism Organisation, Vincent Vanderpool-Wallace (right), were the guests on yesterday's Brass Tacks Sunday which was hosted by Starcom's associate manager, news and public affairs, Stetson Babb.

MINISTER OF TOURISM Richard Sealy is not "won over" by the prospect of casinos in Barbados.

Furthermore, he said yesterday on Brass Tacks Sunday, there was "no national appetite" for casino gambling and the Government did not have to make a decision on the contentious issue at this time.

"We've been without it for a long period. I have already gone public with my own views I don't think it is anything that we need to look at as a priority.

"It is my personal knowledge that is the view of this Government. So the casinos for the time being are a no-no," Sealy said on Voice Of Barbados' call-in radio programme which examined Tourism In The Caribbean: Challenges Prospects And Possible Strategies.

He added that if the issue had to be looked from a business standpoint there were other issues to be considered.

"There's absolutely no national appetite for casino gambling in Barbados. I'm satisfied that there are a number of things that we can do with our product, in terms of our product development.

"There's no lack of interest as far as investing in Barbados. You may not see the sort of client that you associate with casinos, but we still can attract investment. We can attract quality brands without the casinos," he said.

He added that since taking over the tourism portfolio he was yet to meet "a single investor" who had told him that he/she would not invest in Barbados if permission was denied to open a casino.

"I don't anticipate seeing them any time in the very near future. Now obviously governments change, people change.

"I don't want to say that you will never see a casino in Barbados," the minister said, adding that it was "highly unlikely" under a Democratic Labour Party administration.

Secretary-general of the Caribbean Tourism Organisation, Vincent Vanderpool-Wallace, said that casinos were "probably one of the most overrated elements of a vacation mix".

"From my experiences particularly in the Bahamas, if you look at the number of people who come to the country precisely and specifically for casino gambling it's very small.

"Once they are there they wind up in thecasino as a form of entertainment, and one of the negative aspects of very large casinos has been that it tends to diminish the other forms of entertainment that would otherwise flourish and would otherwise spring up. (DS)