Where the Minister of Tourism is King

Travel Blog  •  Eva Holland  •  04.21.08 | 2:00 PM ET

barbados
Photo by garybembridge via Flickr (Creative Commons)

I came downstairs the other morning and picked up the local paper, the Barbados Advocate. The top headline, in bold two-inch font, was: “Balance Needed.” Most places in the world, I’d expect the story that followed to be about deficit spending—but here in Barbados, the lead story was about striking the right balance between condo-style visitor accommodations and traditional hotels. Almost every morning, in fact, the latest pronouncements from the minister of tourism—whether on the growth of condo-style tourist digs or the need to seize a share of the “health and wellness” tourism market—take top billing.

I knew before I arrived in Barbados that tourism to the island would be a major concern for the government. Still, it’s odd to see articles about the minutiae (to my eyes, at least) of the industry getting so much attention.

Another recent example? A bold, dramatic front-page headline: “Barbados Spared.”

Had a hurricane just missed the island? Nope. The big news, instead, was that the chaos at American Airlines had not affected Barbados. Gripping stuff? Not exactly. But it makes for a vivid reminder of just how important the industry is in this part of the world.

Tags: Islands, News and Briefs

Eva Holland is co-editor of World Hum. She is a former associate editor at Up Here and Up Here Business magazines, and a contributor to Vela. She's based in Canada's Yukon territory.


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