Barbados on the Water returns in milestone year

Barbados was in the spotlight this past weekend as the destination marked a pair of milestones and new tourism initiatives on the Toronto waterfront.

After a brief hiatus, the Barbados on the Water festival returned this weekend to Toronto’s Harbourfront Centre, a free three-day event celebrating all things Barbados since 1996. Co-produced by Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc. (BTMI), the festival got underway Friday night (May 27) with music, refreshments and opening remarks from dignitaries including Haynesley Benn, Barbados’ Consul-General at Toronto and Yvonne Walkes, Barbados’ High Commissioner to Canada.

The evening also showcased ‘Barbados Will Always Be Home,’ a commemorative 50th anniversary song written by Bajan artist John Roett and featuring several of the country’s top musicians; the song will also appear in BTMI marketing initiatives throughout the anniversary celebrations.

BTMI CEO William ‘Billy’ Griffith told PAX that the event, which makes its return as Barbados celebrates its 50th anniversary of independence from Great Britain, is hoped to increase Barbados’ tourism profile even higher, as arrivals from Canada continue to climb.

“Hopefully it gives us even more momentum from the Canadian market which we’ve seen over the past 24 months,” Griffith said, adding that there has been increased capacity from Air Canada and WestJet to meet continued demand from Canadian travellers.

Griffith said that as the 50th anniversary of independence approaches on Nov. 30, that theme will carry over into a number of events taking place throughout the year and leading up to the milestone, including the annual Food & Rum Festival in November and the Crop Over summer festival, running from now until late July.

BTMI also recently launched a new website at visitbarbados.org, featuring travel ideas, festival and event dates and more.