2. DEVELOPING AN INVENTORY ON THE STATUS OF AGRO-
TOURISM LINKAGES AND AVAILABILITY OF RESOURCES TO
SUPPORT THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF LINKAGES
(BARBADOS)
Submitted by
Roxanne Waithe
Consultant
May/June 2006
Final Report
..
..
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#94 Hibiscus House
4th Avenue Woodbourne Park
St. Philip, Barbados (BB18047)
Tel: 420-4019 Fax: 420-1728
Email: workmates@caribsurf.com
3. TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
Executive Summary iii
Introduction 1
Part I: What is Agro-tourism? 3
1.1 Dimensions of Agro-tourism 3
1.2 Definitions and Categories 5
1.3 Previous Studies on Agro-tourism in Barbados 8
1.4 The Inventory Process 10
Part II: Inventory of Agro-tourism Products & Experiences 13
2.1 Agro-Trade 13
2.2 Farm Based & Agro-Ecotourism 19
2.3 Community Tourism 25
2.4 Health and Wellness Tourism 28
2.5 Culinary Tourism 31
2.6 Agro-Heritage Tourism 35
Part III: Emerging Implications and Opportunities 39
3.1 Emerging Implications 39
3.2 Potential Opportunities for Linkages 45
i
4. LIST OF TABLES
Table Page
1 Proposed Projects for Barbados Scotland District 23
2 Community Tourism Inventory 25
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure
1 Dimensions of Agro-Tourism 3
2 No. of Agro-tourism Agencies by Category 11
3 Agro-Trade Responses by Type of Venture 15
4 Farm-based and Agro-Ecotourism Responses by Activity 20
5 Problems Encountered – Farm Based &Agro-Ecotourism 21
6 Restaurant Respondents by Type of Cuisine Served 32
7 Agro-Heritage Respondents by Activity Type 36
8 Problems Encountered – Agro-Heritage 36
9 Agro-Tourism Activities Classification Matrix 39
10 Agro-Tourism Agents 41
APPENDICES
Appendix
1 Resource Directory 49
2 Survey Instrument 61
3 Inventory of Agro-Trade Agencies 63
4 Farm based and Agro-Ecotourism Inventory 64
5 Health & Wellness Tourism Inventory 65
6 Culinary Respondents 65
7 List of Suppliers Identified 66
ii
5. Executive Summary
The IICA Agro-Tourism Linkages Centre is challenged with the task of developing links
between agriculture and tourism. The current status of these linkages needs to be clearly
defined. This situation has inspired the current research which aims to find out what type
of agro-tourism resources are available in Barbados and the nature of the relationship
amongst the agencies involved. The final product of this exercise is an agro-tourism
inventory.
The research was conducted over a four week period and after consultation of prior work
conducted by the IICA representative for Barbados, six categories of agro-tourism were
defined:
1. Agro-Trade
2. Farm Based & Agro-Ecotourism
3. Community Tourism
4. Health and Wellness Tourism
5. Culinary Tourism
6. Agro-Heritage Tourism
A survey was used to find out what types of agro-tourism activities occurred in Barbados,
who was involved and what were some of the challenges they faced. The major findings
were that:
- Barbados offers some diversity in terms of its agro-tourism activities
- Most agro-tourism enterprises are operated by private sector agencies
- Current agro-tourism products, services and activities are marketed to both
visitors and locals
iii
6. - Businesses involved in agro-tourism faced some challenges such as access
to financing, inaccessible roads, poor signage and finding skilled
employees
Some recommendations were made for future endeavours:
Development of an agro-tourism awareness campaign to boost local interest and
involvement in agro-tourism
Design of a training program to meet the specific needs of the small farmers,
artisans and other agencies involved in agro-tourism
Publishing of a catalogue of local farmers for distribution to hotels and restaurants
This is only a first phase in the development of agro-tourism linkages. What steps can
IICA take to create and maintain productive relationships between tourism related and
agriculture based agencies? This is a critical question, but for now the challenge is to act
on the new information presented in this report.
iv
7. INTRODUCTION
Agro-tourism is regarded as an opportunity to strengthen the tourism sector through the
development of linkages with the agricultural sector. For that reason the Inter-American
Institute for Co-operation on Agriculture (IICA), the Organisation of American States
(OAS) and the Government of Barbados have formed a partnership to develop a project
that will encourage more linkages between the agricultural and tourism sectors.
As a preliminary measure it is necessary to develop an inventory on the status of agro-
tourism linkages and availability of resources to support the sustainable development of
linkages. This has led to the current research and report which identifies agro-tourism
products, services and experiences in Barbados, and presents a framework for defining
agro-tourism in other Caribbean countries.
The objective of the project as defined in the Terms of Reference was to develop an
inventory on the status of agro-tourism linkages and availability of resources to support
the sustainable development of linkages in Barbados. Specifically, the research was
intended to:
i. Identify community groups (NGOs, CBOs, CSOs) and entrepreneurs
involved in agro-tourism
ii. Determine the status of linkage with the tourism sector
iii. Identify agro-tourism development possibilities and training needs
iv. Identify potential training resources and potential sites for training
exchanges
Several key questions were implied in the terms of reference and each of them was
treated as a specific research goal to be attained from this project:
Goal 1: Which endeavours in Barbados can be classified as agro-tourism?
Goal 2: Who is doing it?
1
8. Goal 3: What are the characteristics of these businesses?
Goal 4: What is working well and what areas can be improved?
Goal 5: What are some of the training needs in agro-tourism and what resources
do we have to fulfil them?
The results of the project are presented in this report which is divided into three sections.
Part one explores dimensions and categories of agro-tourism and proposes definitions for
the same. It also examines previous reports and studies on agro-tourism in Barbados. The
chapter ends with a description of the methods used to collect the data for this report and
to compile the agro-tourism inventory.
Part two consists of six segments, each dealing with one of the categories of agro-
tourism. For each segment, the findings of the research will be discussed with reference
to key research objectives:
1. Defining the nature of the product/service mix
2. Identifying agencies involved
3. Describing significant trends and observations
4. Identifying potential development possibilities
In the last section of the report, the major trends and observations are examined
particularly those issues and challenges faced by participating agencies. This discussion
is followed by an analysis of potential opportunities for linkages between agriculture and
tourism in Barbados based on the research findings, and the text concludes with some
recommendations for future endeavours in local agro-tourism.
2
9. PART I
WHAT IS AGRO-TOURISM?
The Agro-Tourism Linkages Centre based at the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation
on Agriculture (IICA) in Barbados has as its mission”….To support the development of
agro-tourism linkages”. However, the project at hand brought into focus the fundamental
question: What is agro-tourism?
This chapter explores the meaning of agro-tourism from a Caribbean perspective and
helps to place this research into the proper context with clear definitions.
1.1 Dimensions of Agro-tourism
In point of fact, the IICA representative 1 for Barbados has identified specific dimensions
of Agro-Tourism linkages as seen in Figure 1:
Figure 1: Dimensions of Agro-tourism
Based on these classifications, a working definition of agrotourism was developed for the
purpose of the research:
Agrotourism refers to any activity, enterprise or business that links
agriculture with products, services and experiences in tourism.
1
Ena C. Harvey, Presentation at 7th Annual Caribbean Conference on Sustainable Tourism Development
“Keeping the Right Balance – Sustainable Tourism Through Diversity” April 28, 2005, Tobago
3
10. The need to account for existing and potential products, services and experiences in
Barbados in each of the categories (dimensions) prescribed by IICA called for further
clarification, definition and classification of agro-tourism activities.
4
11. 1.2 Definitions and Categories
Arguably, a wide array of products and services can be attributed to agro-tourism. For
each dimension identified, the researcher sought to categorize associated products
services and activities and develop a generic definition for that aspect of agro-tourism.
The outcome of that exercise is presented in the following definitions and agro-tourism
activity boxes.
Farm based tourism can be described as the
FARM BASED & AGRO-ECO
act of visiting a working farm or any TOURISM
agricultural, horticultural or agribusiness
Farm tours
operation to enjoy, be educated or be involved Hands-on farming tasks
Self-harvesting of produce
in activities.
Horse, pony or donkey rides
Farm animal zoos and trails
Overnight stays in a rural bed
Agro-Ecotourism is travel undertaken to and breakfast
witness sites or regions of unique natural or Marine ecology (dive) tours
ecological quality or the provision of services
to facilitate such travel 2 .
Community tourism is one or a combination
of tourism products offered at a community- COMMUNITY TOURISM
level to domestic or international visitors. It Village rum shops
Parish/district parks
usually refers to visitor interaction with local Community festivals
people in the rural areas outside of the Community markets
Special events
traditional tourist areas but can also be linked Stay with a host family in a
local village
to urban neighbourhoods (Diana McIntyre-
Pike Chairman/CEO, Country style
Community Tourism, Jamaica 2003).
2
Definition from report entitled: Barbados National Action Programme to Combat Desertification and
Land Degradation, and to Mitigate Against the Effects of Desertification, Land Degradation and Drought,
February 2002
5
12. Health and Wellness Tourism can be described as the process of combining the goal to
look and feel better with travel, leisure and fun activities.
HEALTH & WELLNESS TOURISM
Spa treatment
Specialty surgeries
Alternative Medicines
Herbal remedies
Therapeutic Holidays
Culinary tourism is a subset of Agro-tourism that focuses specifically on the search for,
and enjoyment of, prepared food and drink 3 .
CULINARY TOURISM
Dinner and theatre package
Culinary schools and workshops
Food festivals
Tasting/buying packaged local
products
Farmer’s markets
Tour a food/wine/beer factory
Agro-heritage tourism can be described as any measure that promotes the heritage,
history and interpretation of early and contemporary agriculture.
AGRO-HERITAGE TOURISM
Sugar cane museums
Plantation tours
Craft making
Indigenous Art showcases or
workshop
Agricultural festivals
3
Definition proposed by Erik Wolf, Oregon Culinary Tourism Task Force 2003
6
13. Agro-Trade consists of any act of negotiation that facilitates the exchange of goods and
services among local community stakeholders, tourism enterprises, and visitors or foreign
interests.
AGRO-TRADE
Produce markets
Craft markets
Floriculture
Agro-processing
Marketing to hotels, restaurants and
other agencies
Without a doubt, Barbados’ agro-tourism offerings span all of the above mentioned
categories. Some efforts have been made to account for them in previous research. The
next segment examines a few highlights from these projects.
7
14. 1.3 Previous Studies on Agro-tourism in Barbados
In February 2006, the Barbados Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development
combined resources with the Ministry of Tourism to conduct a demand side inter-sectoral
linkage study on tourism and agriculture. The study sought to determine existing
linkages between the tourism and agricultural sectors based on the total value of
transactions between the industries.
As such, the focus was on agro-trade amongst hotels, restaurants and suppliers of local
produce. It follows therefore that other dimensions of agro-tourism were not addressed.
However, the researchers made some important recommendations for strengthening agro-
tourism linkages in Barbados by way of establishing a clearinghouse for local produce
and organizing farmers into niches to grow certain crops for the various markets.
Another study conducted by Richardson (2004) explored the nature of the linkages
between tourism and agriculture in Barbados 4 . She concluded that local cost is a major
factor in prohibiting the creation of sustainable linkages on the island. Furthermore, she
suggested that the inter-personal relations that characterize tourism-agriculture linkages
should be to some extent facilitated by government. The idea is that government
agencies must develop, mobilise and establish networks to foster cooperation and
coordination amongst tourism and agricultural entities.
In 2005 an IICA consultant compiled a resource directory of businesses that support or
may be related to agro-tourism (See Appendix 1). The directory was divided into broad
categories as follows:
Government Agencies
Educational Institutions
Regional and Private Organisations
Manufacturers/Distributors
Major Events and Festivals
Site seeing
4
Tourism & Agriculture in Barbados: Understanding Linkages (Published dissertation)
8
15. Hotels and Restaurants
Convention Centres
Caterers
Landscapers and Nurseries
Body Care
The purpose of the research was to understand the status of the relationship between the
tourism and agriculture sectors. Once more, the survey instrument targeted farmers,
distributors and middlemen, and the results of the study substantiated prior research
findings. Although this study concentrated mainly on agro-trade, the compilation of the
agro-tourism business directory proved to be an invaluable resource for the current
research.
9
16. 1.4 The Inventory Process
The agro-tourism inventory study took place over a four (4) week period and three
techniques were used to gather the required data:
1. Reports compiled from previous studies and the Barbados telephone directory
were used to identify key persons and agencies involved in agro-tourism in
Barbados and placed into a master list
2. Other potential agro-tourism agents/businesses were identified by contacting
purchasers/inventory managers in local hotels and restaurants
3. Surveys were implemented for selected agro-tourism agents and enterprises via
(i) face to face interviews
(ii) telephone interviews and
(iii) email
The face to face interviews comprised of similar questions to the questionnaire to allow
for uniformity in the questions asked and to make it easier to compare and contrast
answers by respondents. The survey instrument, which was designed to address the stated
research goals, consisted of eight (8) questions illustrated in Appendix 2.
Early in the process it became evident that while a comprehensive database can be
configured using the first two strategies, the third plan of conducting interviews with the
entire list of potential agro-tourism agents in the allotted time-frame was not realistically
achievable.
As a result the scope of work was slightly changed and some conditions were set for the
selection of participants to be surveyed. A cross-section of agencies and individuals
representing the six pre-defined categories of agro-tourism was randomly polled based on
the following criteria:
10
17. (a) The operator must source and utilize mainly local ingredients for their
business
(b) They must cater to or serve tourists
(c) Availability for an interview
Arguably, based on the proposed definition of culinary tourism, any local dining
experience may be construed as a gastronomic adventure. Therefore, logic demands that
all restaurants be included in the agro-tourism inventory. The focus of those interviewed
for this research however was on those that met criteria (a) as defined above.
Figure 2 shows the percentage of the each category of agro-tourism in the inventory.
Figure 2 : No. of Agro-tourism Agencies by Category
Agro-heritage
Agro-trade
9%
25%
Farm /Agro-Eco
14%
Culinary
Tourism
42% Health &
Wellness Community
8% 2%
Clearly, the constraints of implementing this research on time within the four week
period allocated posed a major limitation to conducting a thorough and comprehensive
inventory. Although the response was generally positive in terms of participants’
willingness to grant interviews or complete surveys, the reality is that some agencies, due
11
18. to the demands of regular operations, were unable to immediately comply with the
research requests.
For instance, a senior officer attached to the Ministry of Agriculture assured that he will
share records from that Ministry regarding persons and businesses involved in agro-
tourism in week three or four of June 2006. A similar occurrence applies to obtaining
crucial records regarding the Culinary Alliance from contacts at the Barbados Hotel and
Tourism Association. Moreover, it is noteworthy that none of the participants who
requested that the survey be sent via email have responded to date.
As far as the research goals were concerned, the questionnaires and data gathered from
interviews were collated, analyzed and tabulated and are presented in this text using a
series of tables and charts. The responses to open ended questions were also tabulated,
classified, and compared and the analysis is presented in the following chapters.
12
19. PART II
INVENTORY OF AGRO-TOURISM PRODUCTS &
EXPERIENCES
In this chapter the products, services and experiences associated with each agro-tourism
category are described, the agencies involved are presented, and any significant trends
and observations are outlined and presented diagrammatically. Additionally, potential
development possibilities are identified and described.
2.1 Agro-trade
Barbados’ agro-trade product service mix can be
placed into four main groups namely:
(i) Buying and selling of fruits and
vegetables to hotels, restaurants and
local consumers
Roadside fruit stand – St. Philip
(ii) Supply of meat, fish and dairy for the
hospitality industry and local
consumption
Fresh Fish at Oistins Fish Market
13
20. (iii) Floriculture – suppliers of cut flowers, floral
arrangements and plant rentals for the tourism sector
Barbados Gold – Chelsea
Flower Show 2006
(iv) Agro-processing of sauces, condiments,
confectionary and related products used in
culinary tourism
Sample products from
Native Treasures
The inventory of agro-trade agencies is provided in Appendix 3. The sample of survey
participants from agro-trade were drawn from each group of activities as seen in Figure 3
below. These businesses were geographically dispersed and were situated in the parishes
of St. George, St. Michael, St. Peter, St. Joseph, St. Peter and Christ Church. All of the
enterprises opened year round and half of them have been in operation for more than
fifteen years.
14
21. Figure 3
Agro-Trade Respondents by Type of Venture
Fruits & Vegetables
Meat, Fish, Dairy
Floriculture
Agroprocessing
Seventy-five percent of those polled revealed that their customers consist of a mixture of
hotels and restaurants and local customers, while 25% indicated that they sold their goods
to wholesalers who in turn service hotels and restaurants.
For this category of agro-tourism, 50% of the traders surveyed expressed that they had
some difficulty in finding the right employees, with another 13% citing it as a major
obstacle. Other significant challenge faced by this group included identifying markets for
their products, arranging proper signage for customer directions and competition from
comparable imported products. Twenty-five percent of the respondents perceived
financing as an issue and 13% had difficulties promoting their business.
Half of the respondents revealed that they had no plans for expansion in the near future,
38% had pending projects for growth and 13% were unsure of future prospects. While
most participants did not say what areas they needed assistance in to grow their business,
some agencies were very specific in their requests as captured in the dialogue box below.
“I need assistance with disease control. I used to produce the most
christophenes on the island but I had to stop because of some
disease I could not handle.”
“We need help with greenhouses.”
“Government needs to put signs for a litter free Barbados and
impose tougher laws for larceny.”
“I could do with some tax free concessions on equipment.”
15
22. Respondents also willingly shared what they thought were their success factors for
sustainability of their business.
Flyers & Bulletins Use Guyanese laborers Lower prices
Honest business Healthy Plants Word of mouth
Competitive prices Good Service Family business
Pay farmers on time Prime Location Excellent Service
Minimize debts
In terms of potential agro-trade projects, several schemes have been identified. The
first project is in its conceptual stages and concerns Claybury Plantation (trading as
Redland Estate Ltd.). Ms Linda Herbert revealed that the project is two-fold in nature
because the first scheme involves investment in ponds and the other entails refurbishing
and extending the two existing guest cottages on the plantation.
The second prospect deals with fish processing. An indepth interview with Ms. Kristina
Adams disclosed that she is working through the Eastern Caribbean (Barbados) Marine
Trust and with the Barbados Ministry of Agriculture to help small scale farmers develop
tilapia fish processing plants. To date she has done tilapia displays at Barbados Agrofest
and at Green Expo.
According to Ms. Adams,
Tilapia is an excellent product
because the fish breeds year
round and apart from the
propensity to supply local
hotels and restaurants, there is
ample opportunity for export
because of the high demand for
this type of fish. Ms. Adams displays a Tilapia from her home pond
16
23. Her proposed role is to set up a model breeding station for tilapia and also to provide
consulting services for those potential tilapia breeders. She explained that she plans to
breed the fish on her own farm and sell to farmers who can grow them and if they wish,
can bring them back to her processing plant to be marketed and sold via the Marine Trust.
Other plans include developing an educational lab for students and other interested
visitors to see how the tilapia fish are bred. Ms. Adams disclosed that she is exploring the
possibility of collaborating with the management of the Graeme Hall Nature Sanctuary to
set up the demonstration lab there.
Another potential synergy related
to agro-tourism is a partnership
with Derek Went of Wentworx
(local producer of organic herbs
and spices), who has access to an
old factory pond and Three
Houses Spring in the parish of
St. Philip.
Mr. Went is deliberating with the
prospect of using his pond as a
small breeding station, and developing a culinary expo which features the use of local
herbs and spices to prepare the tilapia fish. The above picture illustrates a presentation of
the tilapia fish using local herbs and flora.
Ms. Adams, though enthusiastic about her project, acknowledged that there are some
challenges associated with tilapia breeding. She explained that it requires a heavy
investment on the part of the breeder since a few hundred fish can cost several thousand
dollars. Additionally, because this type of fish processing is new to Barbados, there is a
dearth of information available to potential local breeders. Ms. Adams however is
17
24. dedicated to the cause because she is undertaking a two week training program in tilapia
breeding (at her own expense) in America during the month of June 2006.
Furthermore, some farmer/hotel partnerships have been formed between the National
Union of Farmers and the Association of Women in Agriculture. The nature of these
linkages may be revealed in future forums facilitated by the said organisations or during
the next stages of research conducted by IICA.
18
25. 2.2 Farm based and Agro-Ecotourism
Barbados farm based tours are few in number but
appear to be high on the quality of experience
available.
The farm based and agro-ecotourism inventory
presented in Appendix 4 consists of two equestrian
tours, two working sheep farms that offer tours and
one rural eco-lodge with a restaurant and other
facilities on site. Cottage at Lush Life St. Joseph
The Agro-Ecotourism activities can be divided into three main groups namely:
(a) Outdoor adventure tours such as 4 x 4
jeep safaris, mountain bike riding,
horseback riding and rigorous hiking in
cane fields or plantations
Highland Ride – Cane Field, St. Thomas
(b) Nature based tours such as bird watching, garden tours and nature walks
Nature Walk, Orchid World
19
26. (c) Marine Tours such as game fishing where the visitors get to keep their catch.
Underweight fish are released and the extra catch is sold to the Oistins fish
market. Diving tours allow visitors to go turtle watching and deep sea diving
to take in Barbados’ marine ecology.
Big Game Fishing Team, Bridgetown Wharf
Turtle Watching, Andre Miller Marine Biologist
The farm based and agro-ecotourism sample consisted of agencies from all four
aforementioned segments. For a second time, the agencies were geographically
widespread with additional parishes, St. John, St. Andrew entering the mix. Figure 4
shows respondents by type of activity.
Figure 4
Farm Based & Agro-Eco Respondents by Activity Type
Farm Based
Outdoor Adventure Tours
Nature Based Tours
Marine Tours
Only one operator out of those surveyed opened seasonally because of the nature of the
fishing and gaming business. Most of the participants polled had 1 to 15 years
experience in their field with 30% of them having crossed the 15 year mark.
20
27. In this category of agro-tourism, 70% of the respondents indicated that their clientele
consisted of 80 to 95% overseas visitors while the other 30% told of a judicious mix of
local and international customers. The challenges faced by the operators polled are
illustrated in Figure 5 below.
Figure 5
Problems Encountered
Competition
Finding the right employees
Licenses and Permits
Signage
Promoting your business
Identifying markets
Financing
Preparing a business plan
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Major Obstacle
Some difficulty No. of respondents
No difficulty
While business plans, financing, licences and permits and competition were generally not
regarded as pressing issues, several participants expressed that they were experiencing
some difficulties in promoting their business, acquiring adequate signage and finding the
right employees. Noteworthy is that the two operators of riding centres cited licences and
permits as a major obstacle in their business.
Seventy percent of the respondents have plans for future development, while the other
thirty percent indicated that they had no immediate plans. This category of agro-tourism
respondents all expressed their needs for technical assistance and support as recorded in
the following dialogue box.
21
28. “We need Government’s support in maintaining the road to access our property.”
“The Ministry of Works needs to assess the road worthiness of Richmond Road, we lost 80%
of sales last winter season because the buses were unable to bring large groups to the forest.”
“Finding people to care for our birds is a real problem. We could hardly find people who know
about animal care, who understand animals or can make sure they live in sanitary conditions.”
“Financing always helps.”
“We need technical assistance with bugs and pests and for technical organisations to make
recommendations for good gardeners.”
“Advertising!”
“We need somebody to help us to create social partnerships to attract local business. We
want to know how to crack the local market. Maybe some collaboration with the BTA or BHTA
can help promote our activities.”
“We need technical assistance with quantity surveying, accounting and legal services.”
“We need an enabling environment for growth. Government needs to support our efforts
against illegal dumping, help to promote a positive image of agro-tourism and we would like
support from other tour operators. Technical assistance: marketing, business plan and
accounting services. Some funding is also required.”
“Training and certification for a standard hike leader.”
Some success factors:
Service excellence Clean environment Exciting rural tour
Long term planning Strong management team
Right recipe for tours Good staff Team Work
Community spirit Brilliant tour guides Good food
Repeat business Hard work
Potential farm based and agro-ecotourism projects as disclosed by respondents
include the establishment of a spa facility at Lush Life Nature Centre, currently more
recognized as Naniki’s, and the introduction of several new agro-attractions at Highland
Adventure Centre in St. Thomas:
22
29. o Construction of a petting zoo
o Introduction of an aviary with rare birds
o Building a craft zone for local artisans so that more individuals (apart from Ireka
Jalani) can have a forum for their craft
Mr. Chris Ward of Rotherley Construction also has plans to set up 12 acres of
greenhouses at Stronghope in St. Thomas.
Ocean Echo Stables in St. John plans to establish a rural camp site, introduce hikes to
their list of activities and build a petting zoo which can be a non-traditional environment
for hosting children’s parties.
Apart from the proposed schemes outlined by these enterprises, the Barbados Ministry of
Housing, Lands and Environment, Ministry of Tourism and International Transport and
the Community Development Department are engaged in a concerted effort to boost
agro-ecotourism in the Scotland District.
The Barbados Scotland District Agro-Ecotourism Project has as the heart of its mission,
developing the agro-tourism potential of that locale. The Scotland district is a pan shaped
area of land situated in the north eastern end of the island and makes up 1/7th of the total
land area of Barbados. The area, which is over 15,000 acres, covers the entire parish of
St. Andrew, the greater part of St. Joseph and parts of St. John.
The project steering committee has considered several submissions by agencies interested
in developing the agro-tourism potential of Scotland District. While detailed information
on the current status of the project is not available, some of the proposals that were
submitted for review are shown in Table 1 below.
Table 1: Proposed Projects for Barbados Scotland District
NAME OF AGENCY PROJECT NAME & DESCRIPTION
Burnt House Plantation Demonstration Farm Project – showing a rain water
23
30. NAME OF AGENCY PROJECT NAME & DESCRIPTION
collection system and distribution for animals and crop
growing use. Establishment of three farmers markets in
the area and implementation of hiking trails.
Herbee’s Hike Establishment of several hiking trails through the
district for nature lovers and avid hikers.
Caribbean International Establishment of a rural riding holiday centre to include
Riding Centre accommodation and activities such as spring baths,
camping and dining experiences in addition to riding
Incidentally, the campaign outlined by the Highland Team involves development of trails
in the Scotland district. Presently, one of their subsidiary companies conducts an all
terrain vehicle tour in that area. However, the plan is to develop a new recipe for their
offerings.
All Terrain Vehicle Tour Stop – Scotland District
24
31. 2.3 Community Tourism
Community tourism in Barbados occurs on a limited scale. The entire inventory of
established agencies and related activities appear in Table 2 below. Unfortunately, none
of the representatives from these organisations were available for interviews during the
scheduled timeframe.
Table 2
COMMUNITY TOURISM INVENTORY
Agency Telephone No. Contact Person
Oistins Fish Festival 428-6738 Dan Carter
Environmental Special Projects Unit (ESPU) 438-7761 Steve Devonish
Community Tourism Foundation 228-6828 Nicole Farley
The Oistins Fish Festival celebrates the contribution made to Barbados by those persons
involved in the local fishing industry. The festival takes place
around Easter and is a unique attraction that offers fun and
entertainment for both locals and visitors alike. However, each
Friday and Saturday night hundreds of locals and visitors flock
to Oistins for the Fish-Fry, an opportunity to enjoy the local
food - fried and grilled fish, fish cakes, sweet potato, breadfruit
salad or chips, macaroni pie, and other Bajan cuisine.
Local arts and crafts can also be found on these evenings as local
craftsmen take the opportunity to display their wares.
For those who live or are staying in the north of the island, the area known as Half Moon
Fort, St. Lucy offers a similar atmosphere. Cooking takes place under a large galvanized
shed, accompanied by a varied collection of tables and chairs, set up right on the beach.
The menu consists of fish, chicken or pork and a choice of sides similar to Oistins. At
both venues the local community blends easily with foreign visitors.
25
32. The Environmental Special Projects Unit (ESPU) of
the Ministry of Physical Development and Environment
and the Ministry of Tourism (MOT) have developed an
Integrated Nature Tourism Area (INTA) encompassing
Harrison's Cave, Welchman Hall Gully, Jack-in-the-
Box Gully and Cole's Cave.
On tour at Jack in the Box Gully
Integrating joint-marketing strategies, a shared-shuttle system, an area-wide passport, and
a co-ordinated interpretative programme among the natural attraction operations, INTA
has also provided the opportunity for developing a vibrant farm and craft market as a
means of revenue generation for community residents in the parish of St. Thomas.
Every year, in the month of June, the ESPU hosts a two
day community event themed "de heart uh Barbados".
This celebration takes the form of tours to various
attractions located in the parish, followed by a second
all-day open fair featuring local food, entertainment and
craft market on the grounds of the ESPU. Some scenes
from this event are captured in the picture at left.
The Community Tourism Foundation's (CTF) initiatives create opportunities for
individuals and communities to develop sustainable livelihoods and serve to strengthen
the relationship between the tourism sector and communities.
The CTF facilitated the implementation of the craft expo located at Highland Adventure
Centre. This expo has given small craft persons/entrepreneurs access to visitors at this
26
33. major tourist attraction. As a regular stop on island tours for cruise passengers, Highland
was an ideal place for artisans to get the penetration
they need into this market.
The CTF also sponsors scholarships for talented
individuals who want to be trained in the tourism or
hospitality sector.
The most recently publicized proposal for a community tourism project was developed
by the Barbados Tourism Investment Inc. (BTII). The Hill Crest Amerindian Project
involves plans for the construction of vendors’ kiosks, food stalls, a museum, bandstand,
art village, children's play park, and one-and-two bedroom eco-cottages.
The project is supposed to be constructed near the Bathsheba Community Centre which
has a scenic view of the entire East Coast. It is also intended to take on the fish fry look
of Oistins on weekends and a vendors' market.
Residents, vendors and other interested parties have been approached and asked for their
input for the project. The objective is not only to enhance Bathsheba, but to empower
residents and other persons through business enterprises and to attract more visitors to the
area.
Some plans are also underway for driving community tourism in the Speightstown area,
however apart from the refurbishment of the old Speightstown Post Office; these
proposals are not readily accessible.
27
34. 2.4 Health & Wellness Tourism
Barbados health and wellness tourism experiences can be grouped into three broad areas
namely:
(i) Alternative Medicine which describes
practices used in place of conventional
medical treatments and may incorporate
spiritual, metaphysical, or religious
underpinnings or newly developed
approaches to healing. In the Barbadian
context it includes complementary medicine,
which refers to alternative medicine that is
used concurrently with conventional medicine. Craniosacral Therapy – The Maas Clinic
(ii) Spas offering a range of treatments for those seeking health, harmony and the
rejuvenation of mind and body.
Spa treatment at Sandy Lane
(iii) Herbalists and organic specialists who heal by the use of herbs or who use
natural inputs to optimize the health and productivity of people.
Amy LeMay & her booth at BMEX
2006 _ Earth Mother Botanicals
28
35. The health and wellness tourism inventory is presented in Appendix 5. Only four
agencies were interviewed from this category. Of these agencies, three were alternative
medicine practitioners and one owned and operated a spa. Although the researcher
visited the Earth Mother Botanicals, Light Body Holistic and Caribbean Institute of
Healing Iridology booths at the Barbados Manufacturers Expo, the demands of attending
to other inquiring patrons did not allow for interviews.
The alternative medicine practitioners interviewed provided a range of services including
neuromuscular therapy, holistic nutrition and integrated osteopathic health care. All
businesses open year round and were around for an average of eight years. Their
clientele consists of a mixture of seasonal tourists and regular local customers.
One operator expressed that promoting the business was too costly and additionally, she
found that she was competing against persons who had little or no training in the field.
Her main concern was the credibility of her craft considering that persons were offering
treatments at highly reduced rates after only 30 hours of training at the local polytechnic.
One other respondent shared her latter concern explaining that the rapid growth of ‘exotic
massage’ shops on the island has affected her business.
Two of the alternative medicine practitioners had plans for expansion. Their needs for
assistance are outlined in the dialogue box below.
“I need help in finding local vegetables and unprocessed foods
appropriate for a macrobiotic diet, like pine nuts, fresh chick
peas, watermelon that is not chalky, green soy beans and
collard greens.”
“I could use both financial and technical help.”
All three respondents felt that the reasons that they were still in business had to do with
the facts that people are being healed, that they try to cooperate and not compete with
conventional medical practitioners and they are given positive referrals.
29
36. The respondent from the spa facility described his service as preventative medicine. His
business shared similar characteristics to the other operators interviewed in terms of
customer mix. His major challenges included financing, promoting his business and
finding the right employees. He contends that “there is no health and wellness tourism
product in Barbados…..At least people don’t know about it.”
This spa operator has plans for expansion and would like financial support to meet
international spa standards. He attributes his success to enjoying what he does.
With regard to potential health and wellness tourism projects, Ondene Kirton has
plans for developing the herbal garden at Higher Heights while Earth Mother Botanicals
and other members of the Barbados national chapter of the Caribbean Herbal Business
Association intend to expand their range of offerings.
Additionally, Miller (2006) in his report 5 proposed that Caribbean branded herbal
remedies, holistic and alternative therapies present significant opportunities for the
development of a health and wellness tourism industry in the region.
5
A Roadmap for the Development of the Caribbean Health and Wellness Market Sector – report submitted
to the IDB by Dr. Leroy Miller (May 2006)
30
37. 2.5 Culinary Tourism
Barbados offers a wide range of culinary experiences from gourmet and international
cuisine to contemporary Caribbean cooking, as well as traditional local dishes.
For instance the Cliff Restaurant in St. James boasts
international flair. Diners can sample dishes such as the
seared tuna nori roll with wasabi mash pictured on the
left.
For contemporary Caribbean cuisine, the Round House Inn
Restaurant in Bathsheba, St. Joseph is a popular choice where
items such as the coconut pie baked with brown sugar pictured
on the right serves as a perfect culmination to a delicious meal.
Atlantis Hotel and Restaurant, also located in
Bathsheba has an A B C theme – All Bajan Cuisine.
Their buffets offer a wide array of Bajan food and
their daily menus are a blend of traditional dishes
prepared with contemporary style and new Bajan
cuisine.
31
38. A complete listing of all restaurants on the island is featured in Appendix 1, but those
singled out for this research are listed in Appendix 6.
The database of organizations and individual members belonging to the Culinary
Alliance has not yet been acquired, but when it is released to the IICA representative or
designate will form a crucial part of the culinary tourism inventory.
Survey respondents from the restaurants fell into two categories as illustrated in Figure 6
below.
Figure 6 : Restaurant Respondents by type of Cuisine
Served
All Bajan Cuisine
International food
They were situated in different parts of the island including St. Michael, Christ Church,
St. Joseph, St. Peter and St. James. Seventy-five percent of those polled opened year
round while the others opted to close for one to two months during the year so that the
entire staff can go on vacation in the low season. 50% of the restaurants had been in
business for over fifteen years, 13% for eleven to fifteen years and the others were in
operation for between six to ten years.
While 63% of the respondents indicated that their customers comprised of both tourists
and locals, 25% said that almost all of their customers were visitors to the island. The
remaining restaurants attracted mostly locals.
32
39. Finding the right employees was cited as the most pressing problem faced by the
restaurant operators surveyed although a small minority had issues with preparing a
business plan and financing.
Seventy-five percent of the respondents indicated that they had plans for expansion while
the remaining 25% said they had none. Some areas for technical assistance are outlined
in the following dialogue box.
“The duty free status for free standing restaurants is prohibitive
in terms of growth and access to finance for growth projects.”
“It would help if somebody helps us to source better local
products.”
“Cost of training for staff is very high. Some subsidies might
help.”
Factors for success and sustainability of their business:
Good food and service Great Staff Excellent service
Consistent high standards Teamwork Unique product
Niche market Ambiance Location
All Bajan Cuisine Referrals Train each year
Treat Locals just as well as tourists
As far as potential culinary tourism projects are concerned, a brief interview with Mr.
Gerald Cozier of the Barbados Tourism Authority revealed that there are some initiatives
currently being developed. When asked about the Eat/Drink Barbados event, he
indicated that this affair was no longer held.
33
40. Instead, interested parties can attend the Chef Gourmet Evenings at a cost of BDS$80
during the weeks leading up to the Taste of the Caribbean Competition to be held at the
Caribbean Hotel Industry Conference (CHIC) in June 2006.
Evidently, this event is not widely publicized because on requesting a timetable for the
Gourmet Evenings, Mr. Cozier explained that the venues were selected based on
availability and as such no publication was available.
Apart from the above interview, the researcher conducted some supplementary research
in the culinary arena by contacting some all inclusive and large hotels to find out who
were their local suppliers for produce and meats. During the scheduled interviews with
the targeted restaurants, some extra probing was also done to find out this information.
This exercise yielded some important details about the ‘small and middlemen’ that may
be otherwise excluded from programs intended to benefit local farmers. Appendix 7
records particulars from these consultations.
34
41. 2.6 Agro-heritage Tourism
Barbados’ Agro-heritage tourism offerings can be classified under two broad headings:
(a) Plantations and historic sites
some dating back to the 17th
century. The heritage houses
are special in their architecture
and their history and form a
very important part of the
tourism landscape.
Sunbury Plantation House
(b) Indigenous crafts made from wood, clay, grass, animal skins or any other natural
media.
Earthworks – Ceramic Dessert Bowls
Plant Holder/Wastebasket by Ireka Jalani
35
42. The inventory of agro-heritage agencies are listed in Appendix 8. Survey respondents
represented both types of agro-heritage experiences as illustrated in Figure 7.
Figure 7 : Agro-Heritage Respondents by Activity Type
Plantations & Historic
Sites
Indigenous Craft
As for previous categories of agro-tourism, the agencies were geographically dispersed
and almost all of the parishes were represented. Ninety-one percent of these businesses
opened year round. Significantly, more than 70% of the respondents surveyed were in
business for over fifteen years.
Approximately 55% of the agencies polled disclosed that their customers were a mixture
of locals and tourists, while 27% declared that most of their patrons were tourists. The
remaining businesses stated that they attracted more local than overseas customers.
Interestingly, there was no pattern pertaining to the distribution of customer profiles
based on the nature of the activity (plantation vs. craft).
There was some variation in terms of problems encountered as seen in Figure 8. The
most striking result is that more than half of the respondents had trouble promoting their
business.
Figure 8 : Problems Encountered
Competition
Finding the right employees
Licenses and Permits
Signage
Promoting your business
Identifying markets
Financing
Preparing a business plan
0 2 4 6 8 10 12
Major Obstacle
Some difficulty No. of respondents
No difficulty
36
43. In this category of agro-tourism more than half of the agencies polled (55%) indicated
that they did not plan to expand their business while the remaining 45% said that they
did. Some respondents expressed areas where they needed assistance even though they
were not planning for growth.
“Create some linkages with locally based hotels to help increase our sales.”
“Financing for equipment and for expansion. I need more space to operate, one
that is low cost but high traffic.”
“Training for staff.”
“Staffing issues – I have 4 trade shows to produce work for and need to increase
the level of production.”
“Chaperoning for small business and help with export development by producing
leaflets for advertising.”
Success factors not mentioned in other categories of agro-tourism:
Health & Safety practices Promoting an outstanding brand
Passion Innovation seeking
The satisfaction that comes from making things from branches people
throw away
Listening to the customers and changing with the times
Potential agro-heritage tourism projects were not outlined by any of the agents
interviewed. However, it is noteworthy that the United Nations Educational Scientific
and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) has identified three plantation sites as crucial to
the industrial heritage of Barbados 6 :
6
The Industrial Heritage of Barbados: The Story of Sugar (Jan 2005). Barbados World Heritage Task Force
/Coordinating Committee Bay Street, St. Michael, Barbados
37
44. Codrington College which was a sugar plantation in the 1640s
Morgan Lewis Windmill which is the only working sugar windmill of its kind in
the world today.
St Nicholas Abbey is one of the only three surviving Jacobean style houses in the
Western hemisphere.
This phenomenon presents magnificent opportunities for agro-heritage tourism in
Barbados. With careful planning and some creativity, these sites can be developed into
‘must see’ attractions.
Additionally, there appears to be untapped potential for the local artisans to furnish
Barbadian hotels and restaurants with indigenous art and crafts.
38
45. PART III
EMERGING IMPLICATIONS AND OPPORTUNITIES
This chapter highlights the major findings of the project in relation to the research goals
outlined in the beginning of this text, and the implications of these findings. Some
potential opportunities for creating linkages are also explored and recommendations
made.
3.1 Emerging Implications
Emerging from the analysis of the data presented, here are the findings for each research
question.
1. Which endeavours in Barbados can be classified as agro-tourism?
Figure 9 illustrates some activities by category that can be classified as agro-tourism.
Figure 9: AGROTOURISM ACTIVITIES CLASSIFICATION MATRIX
The results of this research suggest that Barbados agro-tourism mix consists of a wide
range of products, services and experiences available for locals and visitors.
39
46. For each category of agro-tourism identified, there were at least two associated types of
established products or activities:
Agro-trade in Barbados has four Health and wellness Tourism
dimensions: experiences currently consist of three
(i) Buying and selling of fruits offerings:
and vegetables (i) Alternative Medicine
(ii) Supply of meat, fish and (ii) Spas
dairy (iii) Herbal and organic products
(iii) Floriculture and services
(iv) Agro-processing
Culinary Tourism experiences come in
Agro-Ecotourism consists of three at least four varieties:
aspects: (i) Gourmet Cuisine
(i) Outdoor adventure tours (ii) International cuisine
(ii) Nature based tours (iii) Contemporary Caribbean
(iii) Marine Ecology Tours Cooking
(iv) Traditional local dishes
Community Tourism is characterized by Agro-heritage tourism exists in two
local festivals such as Oistins Fish dimensions:
Festival, Holetown Festival and special (i) Plantations and historic sites
projects such as ‘de Heart uh Barbados’ (ii) Indigenous crafts
affair.
Ironically, many of the persons interviewed when first approached expressed that they
were not in any way involved in agro-tourism. The implication here is that there is need
to build awareness as to what is agro-tourism in Barbados.
40
47. 2. Who is doing it?
It appears that the private sector is leading the agro-tourism effort in Barbados as
illustrated in Figure 10.
Figure 10: Agro-tourism Agents
The implication here is that a concerted effort has to be made to get private sector
support for the sustainable development of agro-tourism linkages. This undertaking
may not be a small feat in light of the fact that some key agencies are unable to see the
link between their operations and agriculture or the associated benefits.
41
48. 3. What are the characteristics of these businesses?
Generally, agro-tourism businesses are geographically spread throughout the island with
at least one agro-tourism activity represented in each parish. Most of the agencies polled
have been in operation for more than six years, serve a mixture of local and overseas
customers and are open for business year round.
Most of these businesses either have plans for physical expansion of their property or to
increase their product/service mix. These trends imply that the agencies currently
involved in agro-tourism are fairly stable, have a basic understanding and knowledge
of the tourism business, and have the potential positively contribute to the development
of agro-tourism in Barbados.
4. What is working well and what areas can be improved?
Based on the feedback from the agro-agencies it seems that the majority of them have
grasped key elements required for a sustainable business. Some of the exceptional ‘best
practices’ included:
- Health & Safety Practices
- Service Excellence
- Teamwork
- Consistently high standards
- Unique Product
- Ongoing training for staff
- Promoting an outstanding brand
- Treating locals just as well as tourists.
The most prevalent areas for improvement pertain to:
- Creating social partnerships to gain access to the local market
- Finding employees with the right skills
- Gaining access to financing
- Development and maintenance of roads that lead to attractions
42
49. - Introducing proper signage for locals and visitors to find these attractions.
Several implications derive from these occurrences. The first is that operators recognize
on some level that establishing relationships and cooperative alliances is a key element
of long-term success. Secondly, there is a dearth of persons with specific skills
required to service the agro-tourism industry for instance animal husbandry, qualified
and experienced horticulturalists, and weavers. Thirdly, government support is needed
to provide the right environment for agro-tourism by way of tourist friendly signs
(which is a form of advertising), well-paved roads to gain access to attractions and
equipment subsidies.
5. What are some of the training needs in agro-tourism and what resources
do we have to fulfil them?
Admittedly, it is not within the researcher’s scope to answer the latter part of this research
question because in this case the ‘we’ has several connotations. ‘We’ can refer to the
Inter American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture or it can mean the Barbados
government.
In any event, it is beyond the investigator’s capacity to determine what resources are
available from either entity. However, it is quite possible to identify some training needs
in agro-tourism based on the findings of the research. Agro-agencies need training in the
following areas:
- Craft making
- Hiking Leadership
- Business Management
- Pest control
- Setting up of greenhouses
- Animal care
- Horticulture.
43
50. These skills span all categories of agro-tourism and the major implication here is that
these training needs should be addressed to ensure a competitive range of quality agro-
tourism products, services and experiences.
44
51. 3.2 Potential Opportunities for linkages
In actuality, opportunities for agro-tourism ventures have already been identified and best
practices documented as part of a project on stimulating pro-poor linkages in the
Caribbean. That report was produced by the Pro-Poor Tourism Partnership (PPT) in the
UK and the Caribbean Tourism Organisation (Barbados) 7 . The document, which consists
of a series of eight briefs, provides practical tips on how to develop different types of
local linkages.
For the following discussion some of the suggested approaches for establishing linkages
from that document will be used to make recommendations for the Barbadian agro-
tourism industry.
The main question to be addressed here is:
What can the IICA Agro-Tourism Linkages Centre do to facilitate the creation
of linkages?
According to the report, support agencies like IICA can contribute to this process by:
Researching local skills and products, and how they can be adapted to suit hotel
requirements.
Recommendation 1:
This project, as well as previous research conducted by IICA has produced a database of local
farmers and the type of produce they supply, as well as information on the needs of local
hotels and restaurants. On consultation with the suppliers IICA can publish a catalogue,
perhaps in collusion with the relevant government ministries, for distribution to all hotels and
restaurants on the island. As a promotional tool the catalogue has the propensity to increase
business for the otherwise unknown farmers. On the other hand, the local hoteliers and
restaurateurs will have a valuable resource for locating items they need in their operations.
7
Making Tourism Count for the Local Economy in the Caribbean - Guidelines for Good Practice by the
Pro-Poor Tourism Partnership and the Caribbean Tourism Organization (April 2006)
45
52. Stimulating communication between hoteliers, local entrepreneurs, and market
intermediaries and creating an environment that encourages sharing of
information and experiences.
Recommendation 2:
IICA can collate relevant news items from the Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association, the
Ministry of Agriculture and representatives of other agencies to produce a quarterly bulletin
with content specifically geared towards this audience. While this is an indirect way of
stimulating communication, it will help to bridge the perceived information gap that exists
amongst these organisations.
Support small businesses in product development, business planning, and quality
standards
Recommendation 3:
Specific needs for technical assistance and training have been tendered as part of the current
project. These needs can be used as a first point of reference for designing a training program
to assist the agents involved in agro-tourism. Apart from those mentioned, IICA might want
to explore the incidence of produce and animal farmers who might be interested in acquiring
training to conduct tours on their farms.
Although these recommendations are directly related to the strategies proposed in the
‘Making Tourism Count’ report, there is an obvious need to build awareness about agro-
tourism in Barbados. Therefore it is highly recommended that as a first priority the IICA
Agro-Tourism Linkages Centre should develop a campaign aimed at educating the
general public about what agro-tourism is and creating some excitement about getting
involved.
46
53. Related to this outlook are some challenging questions which are intended to generate
ideas for future discussion.
- How do we get Roots & Grasses’ products into the existing local hotels and
restaurants and new developments under construction?
- How do we get the alternative health practitioners to subscribe to locally made
organic herbs and products such as Earth Mother Botanicals?
- Can the IICA Agro-Tourism Linkages Centre host a local farmers’ market in
different parishes every first Saturday of the month?
- Can the IICA Agro-Tourism Linkages Centre embark on an Integrated Nature
Tourism Area (INTA) project featuring plantation tours, nature hikes, and
craft market to take place at the beginning of summer?
- Can IICA collaborate with the Culinary Association to host a Barbadian
Foodfest?
Considering that this research constitutes one phase in the development of sustainable
agro-tourism linkages, this final segment should not be considered as a conclusion to the
project. Instead it ought to be regarded as a prelude to the next step towards building a
viable agro-tourism industry in Barbados.
47
55. Resource Directory
Agencies and entities that support Agro-tourism linkages
in Barbados
Entity Contact Person Telephone No. Fax No.
Ministry and National Agencies
Mr Jerry Thomas and Ms Suzette Edey-
Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development Babb 246-428-4150 246-428-7777
Barbados Agricultural Credit Trust Ltd 246-228-5565 246-426-0814
Barbados Agricultural Developing and Marketing Corporation Mr Jeffery Griffith 246-428-0250 246-428-0152
Caribbean Agricultural Youth Forum Mr Damien Hinds 246-427-4740 246-429-3509
Barbados Agricultural Management Co. Ltd. Ms Flo-Jean Marie 246-425-0010 246-425-0007
Barbados Agricultural Society Mr James Paul 246-436-6683 246-435-0651
Barbados Fishing Co-Op Society Ltd. Mr Anthony Mason 246-228-3400 246-420-5540
Barbados Horticultural Society Mr Victor Roach 246-428-5889
Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association Ms Sue Springer 246-426-5041 246-429-2845
Barbados Investment and Development Corporation Mr Anthony Sobers 246-427-5350 246-426-7802
Barbados National Trust Mr William Gollop 246-426-2421 246-429-9055
Barbados Small Business Association Mr Deighton Babb 246-228-0162 246-228-0613
Barbados Tourism Authority Ms Avril Byer 246-427-2623 246-426-4080
Barbados Youth Business Trust Mrs Marcia Brandon 246-228-2772 246-228-2773
Fisheries Division Mr Steven Willoughby 246-426-3745 246-436-9068
Ministry of Education Youth Affairs and Sports Ms Wendy Watson 246-430-2700 246-436-2411
Ministry of Tourism and International Transport Ms Nicole Belle 246-430-7500 246-436-4828
National Cultural Foundation Mr T. H. Ian Estwick 246-424-0909 246-424-0916
Prime Minister's Officer - Culture Section Ms Majorie Clarke 246-228-8374 246-430-9483
Educational Institutions
49
56. Barbados Community College 246-426-2858 246-429-5935
Samuel Jackson Prescod Polytechnic 246-426-1920 246-426-0843
University of the West Indies 246-417-4000 246-425-1327
Tourism and Hospitality School
Regional and Private Organisaitons
Enterprise Growth Fund Limited Mr Ferdinand Straughn 246-426-1809 246-431-0124
Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association Ms Susan Springer 246-435-0847 246-435-0845
Caribbean Toruism Organisation Ms Mareba Scott 246-427-5242 246-429-3065
Caribbean Youth Environment Network Mr Osmond Harewood 246.437-6055 246.437-3381
Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United
Nations Dr Babara Graham 246-426-7110 246-427-6075
Inter-AmericanInstitute for Cooperation on
Agriculture Ms Ena Harvey 246-427-4740 246-429-3509
Manufactures/Distributors
AC Fruit Growers Ltd Ms Collins 246-428-6826 246-420-7979
Banks Holdings Ltd Mr Chris St John 246-429-2113 246-437-3481
BICO Limited Mr Edwin Thirlwell 246-430-2100 246-426-2198
Barbados Dairy Industries Limited Mr Clyde Gibson 246-430-4100 246-429-3514
Chickmont Foods Limited Mr Geoffrey Goddard 246-418-8000 246-428-0525
Exclusive Cotton of the Caribbean Mr Ruth Linton 246-228-5856 246-228-3250
Foursquare Rum Distillery and Heritage Park Mr Winston Grecia 246-420-9954 246-420-1748
Golden Ridge Farms Inc Mr William Tempro 246-433-3576 246-433-2847
Ms Donna Morgan or
Malibu Beach Club Ceilia Alleyne 246-425-9393 246-425-8371
Morgan Lewis Sugar Mill Tours and Plantation and 246-422-7429 or
Dairy 246-422-9222
Ms Jonathan Morgan or
Morgan’s Fish House Kyle Harris 246-420-2324 246-420-2040
Mount Gay Distilleries Ltd Ms Sharmaine Hooper 246-425-8757
Ocean Fisheries Ltd Mr William Hince 246-425-3695 246-425-2235
50
57. Premium Sea Foods Mr Kenny Hewitt 246-437-2498 246-437-2501
Site Seeing
Harbour Master Cruises Ms Wendy Corbin 246-430-0900 246-430-0901
Atlantis Ms Daria Welch 246-436-8929 246-436-8828
Flower Forest Mr Steve Barnic 246-433-8152 246-433-8365
Jolly Roger Cruises Mr Remington Went 246-228-8142 246-228-7720
Orchid World Mr Steve Barnic 246-433-0306
Welchman Hall Gully Mr William Gollop 246-438-6671 246-429-9055
246-419-4511 or
Animal Flower Cave Mr Manuel Ward 246-262-9535
Mount Gay Rum Tour and Gift Shop 246-425-8757
Barbados Wildlife Reserve, Grenade Hall Forest 246-422-8826 246-422-8946
Malibu Beach Club and Visitor Centre 246-42593-93 246-425-8371
Major Events and Festivals
Crop Over Festival Mr T. H. Ian Eastwich 246-424-0909 246-424-0916
Bajan Dooflickie
Caribbean Gift and Craft Show Ms Moreen Pollard 246-436-0578 246-436-9999
Congaline - Music Festival Mr T. H. Ian Eastwich 246-424-0909 246-424-0916
Eat! Drink! Barbados Ms Susan Duncombe 246-435-0672
Holetown Festival
246-429-7824 or
Barbados Jazz Festival Mr Gilbert Rowe 246-437-4537
NIFCA - Culinary Arts Mr T. H. Ian Eastwich 246-424-0909 246-424-0916
246-428-6738 or
Oistins Fish Festival Mr Dan C. Carter 437-2788
Barbados Sandy Lane Gold Cup Mr C. Armond 246-426-3980 246-228-5475
Banks Hockey Festival Mr Anthony Maughn 246-438-0732
Sizzlin Sand Beach Volleyball Mr Paul White 246-427-8303
Annual Water Carnival Ms Sonia O'Neale 246-429-7946
St Lawrence Music Festival Mr Michael Downes 246-435-6534 246-435-6539
Sun, Sea and Slam International Bridge Festival Lady Burton 246-429-3724 or 246-426-6004
51
58. 246-427-4839
Blowing In De'Westies - Youth Jazz Festival Ms Ruth Williams 246-426-3387
Independence Pro Surifng Championships and
Banks Pro Long Board Classic - Soup Bowl Mr Nick Donawa 246-426-4469 246-426-4469
Hotels
Abbeville Hotel Mr D. L. Inniss 246-435-7924 246-435-8502
Accra Beach Hotel and Resort Mr Jon Martineau 246-435-8920 246-435-6794
Allamanda Beach Hotel Mr Robin Walcott 246-435-6693 246-435-9211
Almond Beach Club & Spa Mr Frank King 246-432-7840 246-432-2115
Almond Beach Village Mr Monty Cumberbatch 246-422-4900 246-422-0671
Amaryllis Beach Resort Mr Alvin Jemmott 246-438-8000 246-426-9566
Asta Beach Hotel Ms Gabrielle Cummins 246-427-2541 246-426-9566
Atlantis Hotel Mr Theo Williams 246-433-9445 246-433-7180
Bagshot House Mr Aubrey Gomes 246-435-6956 246-435-9000
Barbados Beach Club Mr Felix Broome 246-428-9900 246-428-8905
Blue Horizon Apartment Hotel Mr Robin Simmons 246-435-8916 246-435-8153
Butterfly Beach Hotel Mr Mark Kent 246-428-9095 246-418-0502
Caribbee Beach Hotel Mr George Phillips 246-436-6232 246-436-0130
Casuarina Beach Club Mrs Sonia Cole-Wilson 246-428-3600 246-428-1970
Club Rockely (Barbados) Ms Lisa Lynch 246-435-7880 246-435-8015
Cobblers Cove Hotel Mr Hamish Watson 246-422-2291 246-422-1460
Coconut Court Hotel Mr James Blades 246-427-1655 246-429-8198
Coconut Creek Hotel Mr Adrian Grant 246-432-0803 246-432-0272
Colony Club Mr Dermont DeLoughry 246-422-2335 245-422-0667
Coral Reef Club Mr Mark O'Hara 246-422-2372 246-422-1776
Coral Sands Beach Resort Mr Malcolm G Worme 246-435-6617 246-435-7297
Crane Beach Hotel Mrs Paul Doyle 246-423-6220 246-423-5343
Crystal Cove Hotel Mr Adrian Grant 246-432-2683 246-432-8290
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59. Discovery Bay Beach Hotel Mr Chetwyn Burnham 246-32-1301 246-432-2553
Divi Southwinds Beach Ms Patricia Vance 246-428-7181 246-428-4674
Dover Beach Hotel Ms Barbara Carter 246-428-8076 246-428-2122
Dover Inn Hotel Mr John Huggins 246-420-5471 246-428-6865
Mrs Miranda
Edgewater Inn Beneventano 246-433-9900 246-433-9902
Mrs Julia Belgrave-
Escape at the Gap Smith 246-428-611 246-428-7722
Escape Hotel Ms Kathleen Gaskin 246-424-7571 246-424-6595
Fairholme Hotel & Apartment Mrs Erla Grannum 246-428-9425 246-420-2389
Glitter Bay Hotel Mr Jan Schoningh 246-422-4111 246-422-1367
Golden Sands Hotel Mr Denis Tull 246-428-8051 246-428-3897
Grand Barbados Beach Resort Mr Issa Nicholas 246-426-4000 246-429-2400
Hilton Barbados Mr Marilyn Soper 246-426-0200 246-228-7730
Mrs Bernice Critchlow-
Hotel PomMarine Earle 246-228-0900 246-228-0907
Inn on the Beach Hotel Mr Ron Andrews 246-432-0385 246-432-2440
Island Inn Hotel Mrs Pat Odle 246-436-6393 246-437-8035
Kings Beach Hotel Mr Ian Fletcher 246-422-1960 246-422-1619
Little Good Harbour Mr Andrew Warden 246-439-2032 246-439-2020
Long Beach Club Ms Cheryl Markle 246-428-6890 246-428-4957
Mango Bay Hotel and Beach Club Mr Peter Odle 246-432-1384 246-432-5297
Oasis Hotel Mrs Anne Walker 246-435-7930 246-435-8232
Palm Garden Hotel Inc Mrs Ethel French 246-435-6406 246--435-7031
Mrs Margaret-Ann
Peach and Quiet Hotel Loveridge 246-428-568 246-428-2467
Port St Charles Ms Simone Harding 246-419-1000 246-422-7447
Rainbow Reef Beach Hotel Mrs Corlita Worrell 246-428-5110 246-428-5395
Regent Hotel Ms Elizabeth Massiah 246-432-6666 246-432-1335
Yvonne McI. Lady
Rostrevor Apt. Hotel Gollop 246-428-5920 246-428-7705
Royal Pavillion Hotel Mr Jan Schoningh 246-422-4444 246-422-3940
53
60. Royal Westmoreland Mr Greg Schofield 246-422-4653 246-419-7205
Sand Acres Hotl and Bougainvillea Beach Resort Mrs Patricia Dass 246-428-7141 246-428-2524
Sandpiper Mr Wayne Capaldi 246-422-2251 246-422-0900
Sandridge Beach Hotel Mrs Virginia Straker 246-422-2361 246-422-1965
Sandy Beach Island Resort Mrs Jackie J White 246-435-8000 246-435-8053
Sandy Lane Hotel Mr Colm Hannon 246-444-2000 246-444-2222
Savannah Hotel Mr Dominie Tucci 246-228-3800 246-228-4385
Sea Breeze Beach Hotel Mr Mark Kent 246-428-2825 246-428-2872
Settlers Beach Villa Mrs Roslind E Crane 246-422-3052 246-422-1937
Shonlan Airport Hotel Mr Kenrick Reid 246-428-0039 246-428-0160
Silver Rock Resort Mr Abram Alleyne 246-428-2866 246-428-3687
Silver Sands Resort Mr Randal Ward 246-428-6001 246-428-3758
Smugglers Cove Hotel Mrs Phylliss Tempro 246-432-1741 246-432-1749
Southern Palms Beach Club and Hotel Mrs Brita Pollard 246-428-7171 246-428-7175
Sugar Cane Club Mrs Delia Webster 246-422-5026 246-422-0522
Tamarind Cove Hotel Mr Chris Venner 246-432-1332 246-432-6317
Time Out at the Gap Ms Charmaine St John 246-420-5021 246-4205034
Treasure Beach Hotel Mr Trevor Ramsay 246-432-1346 246-432-1094
Tropical Escape Hotel Mr Al Brathwaite 246-432-5150 246-432-5154
Turtle Beach Resort Mr Mark Welch 246-428-7131 246-428-6089
Vacation Hotel Mr John Gaskin 246-428-4748 246-428-6636
Villa Nova Hotel Mr Peter Bowling 246-433-1524 246-433-6363
Windsurf Beach Hotel Mr Mark Kent 246-420-5862 246-418-0502
Yellow Bird Hotel Ms Geeta Chatrani 246-435-8444 246-435-8522
54
61. Restaurants
Ackee Tree Roti Shed and Snackette Mr Martin Field 246-434-7684 246-436-8806
Angry Annie's Mr Paul Matthew 246-432-2119
Baku Brasserie Mrs Joan Morris-Bruce
Balcony Restaurants and Bear Garden Mr David Bayley 246-431-2088 4312139
Barbecue Barn Salad Bar 246-436-5000
Barclays Rum Punch Bar and Restaurant Mr Anthony Redman 246-422-9213
Bean and Bagel Mr Terry Boyce 246-420-2743 246-420-5183
Bellinis Ms Stephanie Smith 245-435-7246
Blakey's Bar and Restaurant Mr Ronald A Gittens 246-428-1933
Bombas Beach Bar and Restaurant Ms Grace Taaffeee 246-432-0569
Bonito Bar and Restaurant Mr Raymond Parris 246-433-9034
Brown Sugar Restaurant Ms Marcell Cooke and Mr Nick Donawa 246-426-4469 246-426-4469
Bubba's Sport Bar and Restaurant Ms Marian Elias 246-435-6217 246-435-8732
Café Indigo Mr Jason Assesling 246-432-0968 246-432-1396
Café Jungles 246-428-5005 246-428-6031
Café Sol Mexican Grill and Margarita Bar Mr Mark Cothrane 246-435-9531 246-420-7645
Calabaza Mr Brian Carter 246-424-4557 246-424-0766
Captain's Carvey Ms Susan Tryhane 246-435-6961
Carambola Mr Robin Walcott 246-432-0832
246-435-8540 or 246-231-
Carib Beach Bar Mrs Anna Adamira 7229 246-435-8542
Champer's Wine Bar and Restaurant Inc. Mrs Chiryl Newman 246-435-6644
Chefette Restaurants Mr Assad Holoute 246-430-3385
Chicken Barn Ltd Mr Peter Hynam 246-435-7428
Chillers Mrs Carol Vogt-Ince 246-435-7011
Coach House Mr Howard Palmer 246-432-1163
Cocomos Restaurant Mr John Reid 246-432-0134 246-432-6174
Daphne's 246-432-2731 246-432-5161
David's Place Mr David Trotman 246-435-9755
East Moon Mr Simon 246-422-4739 246-422-7491
55
62. Emerald Palm Mr Brian Tatem 246-422-4166
Golden China Restaurant Mr Ian Chinapoo 246-435-9660
Guang Dong Chinese Restaurant and Bar Mr Michael Chow 246-435-7387 246-4359532
246-432-0014 or 246-431-
Ho Kwong Mr Phiilip Cho 0176
Ideal Mrs Gail Wills 246-431-2140
Ile De France Mr Michael Gramaglia 246-422-3245
Ile Tempio R & A Investment Inc., Anna Pirelli 246-432-2057
Jambalayas Mr Bernt Sundkvist 246-435-6581
Jeremiah's Bistro Mr Greig Smith 246-420-6397
Josef's Mr Josef Schwaiger 246-435-8245 246-420-7639
Jumbo's Bistro Mr Roger Foster 246-432-8032
Kapone Restaurant Mr Deryck Jemmott 246-429-6782
Kentucky Fried Chicken Mr Phil Davis 246-435-8185
La Bella Collina Mrs Lee-ann Pearisi 246-419-0134
La Terra Ristorante Mr Matthew Hartmann 246-432-1099
Lobster Alive Mr Art Taylor 246-435-0305
Lone Star Restaurant and Hotel Mr Rory Rodger 246-419-0599 246-419-0599
246-435-5825 or 246-425-
Lucky Horse Shoe Saloon Mr Laura Galt 5825 246-4358-7484
Luigi's Ms Ferri 246-428-9218
Mango's "By the Sea" Ms Gail Spenard 246-422-0704
246-419-4511 or 246-262-
Mannie's Suga Suga Bar and Restaurant Mr Manuel Ward 9535 246-422-0021
Mayflower Chinese Restaurant Mr Tony Yam 246-426-4734
McBride's Pub and Cookhouse Mr Mark Cothrane 246-435-6352 246-420-7645
Mew's Mr Christopher Hoad 246-432-1122 246-432-1136
Naniki Mr Tom Hinds 246-433-1300 246-433-1314
Oceans restaurant and Bar Mr Mike Seale 246-420-7615 246-418-0188
Olive's Bar and Bistro Mr Michele Rogers 246-432-2112 246-432-2406
Opa Greek Restaurant and Bar Mr Dimitri Vamvakas 246-435-1234 246-431-6587
Paradise Pizza Mr Victor Clarke 246-435-6777
Pisces Mr William Donawa 246-435-6564
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