BARBADOS – Marketing the Caribbean as just a sun, sea and sand destination is now a thing of the past.
Barbardos Minister of Tourism, Richard Sealy, made this observation while delivering the keynote address at the opening of a Regional Workshop – “Towards National Strategies for Sustainable Heritage Tourism Development in the Caribbean” at the Errol Barrow Centre for Creative Imagination, Cave Hill Campus.
Minister Sealy told the audience that “tourism practitioners have realised that today’s visitor is a more discerning individual, who is looking for a vacation that is meaningful”. He added “research indicates that visitors not only want to enjoy their vacations, they also want to experience the culture of their chosen destination; that is, to visit historic sites and interact with the local people”.
He urged the stakeholders within the tourism industry to work in tandem in order to develop those strategies that are necessary “to ensure that the development of the heritage component of the region’s tourism product offering is undertaken in a sustainable manner.”
He expressed the view that while we must remain mindful of the region’s dependence on the financial benefits that accrue from tourism, it was also important for us to consider the industry’s impacts on our tangible and intangible heritage.
