I think we will hope against hope for this matter to see the light of day.

The reality is that the Minister is preoccupied with the pass thru traffic of the cruise line business he obviously has a vested interest in this side of the business I am not sure why this is the case but it is clear that this is where the emphasis is situated.

There is a great potential for the Mega Yacht business growing in the island as well but sadly Port St .Charles is the one accepting most of these vessels and their capacity is limited by its size.

I am not sure what we would have done with the arrival of the 700 yachts and the 35 cruise ships that was brandished around with CWC in the air!!!!

We shall wait with baited breath for even the decency of a reply from the Minister.

Best regards,

Sent: 22 November 2007 09:11
To: ‘william duguid’
Subject: RE: ONDECK SAILING PROMOTION

William

Thank you. Lets hope something happens

From: william duguid [mailto:will99@caribsurf.com]
Sent: 21 November 2007 21:12
To:
Subject: RE: ONDECK SAILING PROMOTION

I have forwarded your comments to the Minister.

William

First mistake is involving Adrian Loveridge as the minister hates this white man. Also the minister is already above the common Barbadian and criticism, hopefully the people are tired of his and the rest of the party and their arrogance greed etc. Yachting is also a white people sport as viewed from the ignorant people who run the Island, car racing also fell under this category. So before I waste my time and yours it must be done by yachters or it will fail. Please also be advised that elections are soon and the minister has no time for minority sport!

I sincerely wish you luck with your appeal as below, some how I am led to believe that this admistration is not the least bit concerned or cares about Boating and on the evidence and is even more disconcerting is that it leaves you to wonder about their desire to keep tourism growing.

Last night for example this group of yachts which had about 50 persons as crew ended up at the BOAT YARD BAR with maybe around a 100 persons in attendance, what is being missed here is this is not a cheap end cruiser arriving in Barbados, these are 50 people who have paid good money to partake in this event and on arrival in Barbados they are in turn met by their friends and families, to then spend in some cases another week on the island and partake in food in restaurants, drink in bars, catch Taxis or busses doing all the things that normal tourist do, with the financial ability to do so.

Maybe we have lost our way when they consider air sea transfers and the numbers that reads well for Mr.Lynch to be more important than the long stay or onshore arrivals, I am not convinced that Minister Lynch has grasped this concept of tourism as yet, It has taken many years and if he is still trying to learn we have a problem indeed.

I met with the organiser last evening and listened to his concerns and his wishes, funnily enough he does not ask a lot of the authorities but yet he cannot get a hearing from those in authority or control, if one considers that with 4 yachts making the trip this year and generating around a 100 ARRIVALS (for Mr. Lynch’s benefit this is and arrival) and with the intention to move the numbers up to between 6 to 8 yachts for next year it has room for growth in this market, are we going to wait for them to shift to St .Lucia before we activate and do something meaningful?

Good luck in your endeavors and best regards,
——————————————————————————–
Sent: Wednesday, November 21, 2007 6:47 PM
To: ‘william duguid’

Subject: FW: ONDECK SAILING PROMOTION
Williiam

The boating industry in Barbados is TOTALLY ignored and disrespected by Govt.

The Min of Tourism has been totally ineffective in appreciating the contribution made by the industry

We cannot ,despite repeated representation, and despite the P.M’s stated wish to elevate Barbados to a meaningful developed status in the boating world, get anything to happen.

Not even responses to correspondence.!!!

There is no CONTINGENCY PLAN FOR OUR HUGE INVENTORY OF FLOATING TOURISM INDUSTRY ASSETS IN THE EVENT OF BAD WEATHER!!!

We need a responsive Govt to facilitate development and to sustain what we already have. We are not asking even for funds… just facilitation!!

This industry earns over $40m p.a. in foreign exchange.

Can you help us??

chayd@visitbarbados.org

I have always found him very helpful and the worse he can do is to say no.

The Minister has clearly demonstrated he is out of touch with the reality of tourism on Barbados.

LETTERS to the Editor
Barbados Advocate – Wednesday November 21,2007.
Paul Simon

‘desperate’
‘failed’

‘desperate’ – I clearly do not accept but yes you are completely right, I have dismally ‘failed’ to encourage, persuade, coax or in anyway get the ruling party to produce the audited accounts for Hotels and Resorts Ltd for the last SIX years.

Perhaps, if we could see the accounts for

2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
and
2007

we could fairly draw our own conclusions.

You are expressing an opinion that sadly I hear often.
One suggestion: That you approach the Tourism Development Corporation TDC).

Their members receive tax benefits for contributing to a fund that is meant to stimulate tourism. You have to have a plan and that plan should show how any ‘investment’ would reap increased visitor arrivals.

If I can help at all, please contact me.

BARBADOS’ tourism product is “in moderate trouble”.

That is the finding of a new international destination scorecard survey, which was conducted by the National Geographic Centre for Sustainable Destinations in partnership with George Washington University.

The survey – in which Jamaica scored the lowest of all Caribbean destinations – gave the island a ranking of 62, which means its tourism sector has “a mix of negatives and positives”.

According to the report, which surveyed 111 places, Barbados was a densely populated country “with some of the highest visitor arrivals in the region”.

It added, however, that although the island was “very clean”, there were some negatives.

Cool it.

That has nothing to do with “OUR” what our vote is coming to. But suppose all of a sudden by Christmas time Momma Mottley prediction is true and food costs come down Noticeably. And as a bonus stores got nuff cheap turkey for everbody.

Are you telling me that this would not give Owen a great boost at the pools. It was just a scenario I said I would not be surprised he or Al Gilkes might have already thought of.

How many people vote for a party who reduces their taxes or exempts them from some other hardship? Is there much if any difference between that and providing cheaper food with the turkey scenario boosting the program. Look at it in that context because that is how I meant it.

But if you are still pissed I will tek de licks!

Lighten up and chill!

Look at Mia Mottley in to-days Nation News expounding with glee that they (BLP) could have food prices down before the end of December. Now before I go on let me remind you that in a post of mine only days ago I said all the Government had to do was address the high cost of living issue and all would be forgiven. Address the high cost of living they have done and not a week after my post was up.

But here is where the focus of the people should be. How can the BLP do what they said they could or would not do after 13 years in power but are now doing it in about two months I think that was about the time the CADRES poll came out. You see how quickly these boys can turn things around that only 3 years ago they said was being influenced by things beyond their control? Off shore marketing pressures I think they said!

But let us take this scenario a step further to show you the possibilities this “problem” of a high cost of living could be taken to ehance the political opportunities of the BLP.

Were I Arthur I would call in a few IOU’s or have Al Gilkes do it for me and have the Private Sector and the wealthy quietly subsidize a drive to have plenty of turkeys available this Christmas and at prices even the poor can afford and use it as an example of what the BLP are doing to reduce food prices. This is a very doable thing believe me.

Turkeys at this time of year are abundant and cheap. The boys can go to North America and pick up thousands for chicken dirt prices. By the time this little exercise is over the few dollars if any lost by the promotion would amount to nothing. But look at the votes it would bring in?

Bajans have always fallen for the “Bird”! And no one knows this better than the BLP and movers and shakers.

How many on the lower rounds of the ladder have eaten turkey for Christmas over the past ten or so years? Nuff votes!

On the original topic:

I think Barbadians should really rethink this whole apathy thing we got going on. This is world where some governments are being crucified for corruption, others have to face serious public outcry and protests over mismanagement. Why would we continue to let a Government mismanage without letting them truly feel the power of the voice of the people who put them there.
This is just one of the signs that it is fast comming to the point where it may no longer be enough to just say “you can make your voice heard with your vote on election day” or use call in programs. Our politics have adapted a dangerous imunity to these things and polititians know we aren’t going to stand up “together and as a people” when we see them do wrong.
We don’t have to look to far to see what kind of results this kind of look-the-other-way mentality towards the Government will get us. Hopefully the Barbadian people will wake up before it gets to the point of “Antigua under the Birds”.