A night at the races with Barbados

With Canada and Barbados having enjoyed a ‘long and storied’ relationship, and strong connections in areas ranging from international business to tourism, the stage is set for a productive future in Canadian travel to the eastern Caribbean island.

That was the message of Peter Mayers, director, Canada, Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc., at an event hosted by the organization at Woodbine Racetrack last night. Mayers was joined by Haynesley Benn, consul general of Barbados, Toronto, Nancy Drolet of the Caribbean Tourism Organization, and chef Chris de la Rosa at a dinner, which saw attendees take in a race featuring noted Barbadian jockey Patrick Husbands.

Speaking to PAX, Mayers described Barbados as a ‘varied and exciting’ offer, whose ‘tremendous appeal for the Canadian market’ was demonstrated by consistently strong tourism figures from Canada.

"We attract about 80,000 Canadians annually,” he commented, “[and] we are on track to meet that target again this year… there’s always been a close relationship between Barbados and Canada, not only from a tourism standpoint but also from an international business standpoint. Our island has always attracted Canadians, and we’ve not seen a letup in that at all. These are exciting times for us.”

Peter Mayers, director, Canada, Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc.

Upcoming events

The island’s appeal to Canadian travellers, Mayer said, was set to be strengthened by a host of forthcoming events, hotel renovations, and openings, with the Barbados Food & Rum Festival – taking place from Nov. 16-19 – among its centrepiece attractions.

This year’s offering will see the ‘culinary capital of the Caribbean’ welcome local and international culinary artisans, with featured chefs set to include De La Rosa, Tom Aikens and Jean-Georges Vongerichten.

There’ll also be a strong focus on Barbados’ culinary experiences in 2018, with the island set to showcase its range of food experiences and introduce new festivals and events centred around gastronomy and its famous rum.

The Inaugural Sugar & Rum Season is scheduled to run between December 2017 and April 2018, highlighting Barbados’ status as the ‘birthplace of rum’ by hosting tours, dining experiences and other culinary activities.

Hotels reopening in 2017 include The House by Elegant Hotels – set to reopen this month – with Fairmont Royal Pavilion and Treasure Beach by Elegant Hotels following in November. Sea Breeze Beach House is scheduled to reopen in December, with Sandals Royal Barbados debuting in December and the Wyndham set for its opening in 2020.

Among Barbados’ strongest selling points, Mayers added, is its accessibility from Canada. This winter, Air Canada Rouge will kick off daily service out of Toronto, with mainline Air Canada beginning service in December and WestJet in November.

Importance of agents

It’s little surprise, given the busy year that awaits in 2018, that Barbados’ tourism representatives view travel agents as a key priority in their marketing efforts.

“We have had an enduring and ongoing commitment to the travel agent community,” Mayers affirmed. “One of the things we firmly believe in is the importance of travel agent education – and this is manifested by our current travel agent training program, the Barbados Elite Club.”

Here, agents can participate in a number of modules aimed at enhancing their knowledge of Barbados and enabling them to sell the destination with more confidence and frequency. Mayers also confirmed the continuing importance of FAM trips to Barbados, with a series set to begin again in spring 2018.

“That, too, allows the agent to touch and smell the product,” he commented. “[It] brings it into reality, and sharper focus for them.”