AN EMPHASIS ON heritage is one of the key solutions to transforming tourism in Barbados, says preservationist Professor Henry Fraser.
Speaking during the recent launch of Island In The Sun: The Story Of Tourism In Barbados, which he co-authored with tourism consultant Dr Kerry Hall, Fraser said that sun, sea and sand would no longer determine the success of the industry.
“There are beaches in the Seychelles, Jamaica, and The Bahamas. Those beaches are generally speaking bigger.
“We haven’t got the 365 beaches of Antigua. We haven’t got the 365 rivers of Dominica but we’ve got the 365 historic buildings of Barbados . . . and heritage tourism with that world heritage inscription will transform tourism in Barbados,” he said last Wednesday at the Courtyard by Marriott hotel.
Fraser said that while it cost “a fortune” to refurbish a big hotel, it did not cost a fortune to capitalize on heritage.
“A UNESCO World Heritage inscription within a few years increases magnificently visitor potential.
“It doubles, trebles and multiplies by several times the visitors to world heritage sites,” he said.
Fraser revealed that the Task Force for the Preservation of Barbados’ Built Heritage was working on saving “wonderful treasures” like the Carnegie Library, the old Town Hall, the old Supreme Court and Glendairy Prison.
He pointed out that for the second half of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century, tourism in Barbados was dominated by visits to historic sites.
He said St John’s Church, Codrington College, the Crane Hotel, St Nicholas Abbey and Farley Hill were the “famous five tourism destinations that every tourist in Barbados came and saw”. (NB)
