As the Ministry of Tourism works to continually refresh and enhance the island’s tourism product, it has maintained a primary focus of positioning Barbados to effectively target the cultural heritage market niche.
This was pointed out by Minister of Tourism Richard Sealy yesterday as he spoke to a gathering at the launch of the Change Of The Sentry in celebration of Tourism Week 2011 at the Main Guard of the Garrison Historic Area.
Sealy said that the reality was that tourism was private-sector driven and the contribution of the private sector and NGOs to the industry was invaluable.
He said that effective public/private sector partnership was a prerequisite for the sustainability of the industry.Â
On that note, he acknowledged the contribution of the work of the Barbados Garrison Historical Consortium Inc., the developers of the launch of the Change Of The Sentry.
“Worldwide the heritage and culture of a destination are now viewed as key marketing components of international tourism.
“This development has been confirmed by the World Tourism Organization. Further, that agency has expressed the view that heritage and culture are now numbered among the five key market elements of the tourism industry,” he said.
The minister also highlighted that Barbados’ industry had reached the stage where significant opportunities were being presented in the global place for Barbados to achieve sustainability of its tourism industry through the managed use of its rich heritage and culture.
He said the country’s rich military heritage could be no exception.
The Change Of The Sentry was carried by members of the Barbados Legion who were trained by Barbados Defence Force.
