Trinidad Government Maybe Poking Sleeping Giant

Submitted by Brubaker

An article appearing in local print media on June 16, 2008 under the headline “No tourism threat from Trinidad” which suggests Trinidad & Tobago involvement in tourism poses no immediate threat to Barbados could be the greatest understatement tourism stakeholders are being fed about the twin island destination. Furthermore, just because Barbados has apparently been in the tourism industry much longer than Trinidad & Tobago and has a greater number of hotel rooms, is no guarantee the threat will not become a reality sooner than later. Lest it be forgotten, if the Government of Trinidad & Tobago had not acquiesced to Prime Minister Barrow’s request in 1969 to allow BWIA to be designated as Barbados’ airline carrier when Barbados was experiencing difficulties with airlift, one wonders if Barbados’ tourism would have ever developed to its present level.

Trinidad & Tobago may not at this stage have a large quantum of hotel rooms but a cursory inspection and comparison of what the twin islands have to offer visitors may prove rather interesting. In addition to normal tourist attractions, the following are some of the resources they can boast about when compared to Barbados – (1) Trinidad & Tobago have two airports (2) Trinidad has the commercial component where visitors can shop till they drop (3) Tobago on the other hand is the resort area with airline and ferry services which bridge the two islands. Visitors can also split their holidays between the two destinations and most important (4) the Government of Trinidad & Tobago has its own airline and does not have to rely on other sources for airlift.

The fact that the Government of Trinidad & Tobago has been investing enormous sums of money to improve and enhance its tourism industry should not come as a surprise to Barbados Tourism officials. Tourism happens to be the singular industry, the Government of Trinidad & Tobago needs to complete its economic development program and money will not be a problem to achieve this objective. The challenges which the twin island destination need to resolve, are the organization of its Public and Private tourism sectors and the establishment of overseas marketing /promotional offices. With the PNM party at the reigns for another term, one can safely assume that as soon as the proper infrastructure is in place, Barbados can expect to see aggressive marketing activity by Trinidad & Tobago to attract visitors.

The insidious remarks about Barbados’ tourism plan are also not proof positive the plan has worked. This plan, if ever there was one, has been tested and failed when product planners displayed a lack of foresight in developing adequate conference and meeting facilities as Barbados’ tourism plant grew.

Wanting convention business without the appropriate facilities to accommodate groups are wishful thinking on any destination’s part. Barbados’ meeting and conference facilities during the last two decades were a mix match of the Dover Convention Centre, the Heywood’s scatter hotel project, now the Almond Beach Village, and the original Hilton hotel. The logistics involved with moving groups from different hotels to these locations were not an easy task and in many cases conference space was limited. Sherbourne Conference Centre, a recent structure, unfortunately falls into the same category as the others. It can only accommodate small conferences and sadly lacks adequate kitchen facilities. If Barbados’ tourism is to move forward in this area, necessity dictates a modern full fledge convention centre supported by adequate hotel space be constructed in a suitable location.

The inference about brand name hotels being the key to the success of Barbados’ convention business is ludicrous. If the truth were told, well-known larger international hotel brands are not the solution to this problem. These hotels cater mainly to high-end clientele and their specific needs and are not necessarily interested in operating convention and conference facilities.

Homegrown hotel brands can be equally successful as world-renowned brands,provided Caribbean governments or vice versa can work together. Examples of two such brands in the Caribbean are Almond Beach in Barbados and Sandals in Jamaica. The reputation and growth Almond Beach has achieved internationally would make that brand an excellent choice for building a convention centre with supporting hotel facilities. Their management has the acumen and expertise to handle a project of this type if they were interested in getting involved.

Land for a convention facility of this magnitude is at a premium in Barbados. The single location, which appears to fit this requirement is the space at the Sam Lords Castle hotel in St.Phillip. Its location near the airport is excellent, the history attached to the Castle and the setting would be ideal for conventions. Plans for rebuilding this hotel, according to rumours, are still very much in discussion stages and perhaps a meeting should be convened between Barbados tourism officials, and the owners of Sam Lords Castle and Almond Beach hotels to establish if the three parties would be interested in creating the Caribbean ultimate hotel and convention centre.

Strange as it may seem, one wonders if it is any coincidence that the parent companies of both Almond Beach and Sam Lords Castle hotels, Neal & Massy and Clico respectively, are headquartered in the twin island destination of Trinidad & Tobago. If an agreement could be reached, hopefully the project would not be interpreted as a threat to Barbados’ tourism industry

Perhaps, there is some truth after all that ” a rose whether in Trinidad or Barbados is still a rose”.