“The old people in Barbados used to say that if it rained on New Years Day it will rain all year. Well, we had a lot of rain here on the west coast on New Years Day and if the old people are right, a lot of people are going to get soaked in 2009.”… West Coast Blog article Nearly Half The Villas At Four Seasons Still Unsold
West Coast Blog Says Hotel Guests Down 70% At Almond Beach Village!
Our friends over at West Coast Blog (WCB) have their finger on the pulse of “Platinum Coast” tourism and they say that the patient is in critical condition – nevermind that this is the “high season”. WCB cites a number of statistics and it is obvious they have insider knowledge about hotel occupancy rates and condo sales figures. Today’s article makes a compelling case that all those happy, optimistic articles we’ve been reading in the Barbados media are not exactly the real picture.
Folks, as we said in mid-December, 2009 is going to be a brutal year for tourism. You should be putting your personal emergency plan into action NOW! As we said in our article You Can Taste The Fear In Barbados – Travel Poised to “drop off a cliff” in January, there are steps you should be taking…
- Shun debt.
- Work hard.
- Economise.
- Maintain friends and family. Look after them and they will look after you.
Things are bad, and they will get worse. A lot worse. Look after your friends and family because it could be you next.
35 Comments
January 7, 2009 at 3:19 pm
“Look after your friends and family because it could be you next.”
Great advice BFP.
January 7, 2009 at 3:31 pm
The media, the BTA and government in general do the people a great diservice by not being realistic and truthful about the economy and how it will drastically affect tourism. It is only a matter of time before lay-offs will start if they haven’t already. Sadly, hotel staff will be the first and then the restaurants and then all other businesses that piggyback on the hotels and tourism.
Another very old and venerated company in the U.K. has declared banruptcy last week, Wedgewood china and ceramics. Is the government of Barbados ready to deal with all the funds that will be required to pay out those who will seek unemployment insurance?
January 7, 2009 at 6:54 pm
Those of us with access to the internet can find out what is happening in the rest of the world.
I live in Canada and I follow the Financial news on this site and on their TV station.
http://www.bnn.ca/
Hope for the best but prepare for the worse.
The BTA in Canada has been working very hard but Canada is now in a recession so the results may not be good.
January 7, 2009 at 8:21 pm
If life gives you a lemon – make lemonade.
If life gives you a coconut – make some car parts.
Oh sorry, I forgot. No one is buying cars these days either.
January 7, 2009 at 9:27 pm
@Hants
• The BTA in Canada has been working very hard but Canada is now in a recession so the results may not be good.
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Glad to see you are waking up to reality
January 7, 2009 at 10:30 pm
Obama. My president plans to close the offshore accounts in the Caribbean, He will forgive your debts but Canada was commenting they will follow the same path,
bringing the tax money our citizens try to channel through tax havens ..
This will happen soon.
And tourism on the South Coast is down 50 percent
Many wealthy people will lose their net worths and have to eat crow the same people that they stepped on they will meet on the way down.
one of them is my ex from this country and I will live to see the day he goes broke,.
without his money he is an empty shell of a human
People here saw him abuse me and worshipped his money and clout.
God don’t like ugly.
Two billionaiares commited suicide in the USA and one from Germany the German Billionaire was the 9th richest man in the world
January 8, 2009 at 12:17 am
think of this: the £ is down against the euro 5 cents up against $ today, anyway. BBds now cheaper than south of France etc. even so UK trips to carribean better bet than posh euro hoidays. I wood go on but the etter before M is not working on my keyboard damn. Knowing this, can I have your patience pease insert missing etter! The price of aviation fue has gone down, midde cass peope who usuay go to GRR! the South of France or Tuscany wi now find a hoiday in Barbados not so expensive. Dont ose heart!
January 8, 2009 at 12:49 am
Sandy Lane is down by 33% when compared to Jan 2008 as cancellations mount. Even the wealthy are cutting back.
January 8, 2009 at 12:51 am
Marks & Spencer has announced that it is laying of 1,000 persons – who wants to guess how many of these had planned to travel to Barbados this year?
January 8, 2009 at 12:53 am
Colony Club 3 months behind on their accounts payable.
January 8, 2009 at 12:54 am
Spin it anyway IT DOES NOT LOOK GOOD FOR ANY OF US.
January 8, 2009 at 1:09 am
You all had better start growing some vegetables…and fast. I already have mine going
January 8, 2009 at 1:22 am
http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe/01/07/europe.russia.gas/index.html?iref=mpstoryview
Could this dispute help us? In that Europeans may want to escape from their cold as rass winter an come to Bimshire for our SUN. Should the BTA increase its marketing in Western Europe at this time?
January 8, 2009 at 3:41 am
Tourism down and the numskulls at immigration send back an elderly visitor back just because he caught Ronnie Biggs , a criminal, 27 years ago.
January 8, 2009 at 4:43 am
If Obama is able to stimulate the US with much sadly needed infrastructure investment, the trillion dollar deficit will quite quickly drop the US dollar against other currencies.
There are always a number of factors at play and forecasting in these unpredictable times is a bit of a mugs game, but countries with balanced budgets should be the ones whose currencies rise. This means Europeans and Canadians should have greater purchasing power.
There is no question that Barbados tourist product needs differentiation and mouth to mouth resucitation. Is the government up to it?
January 8, 2009 at 11:05 am
In times of crisis we need to pull together for the sale of our dear little rock, afterall this would be expected if we were hit by a category V cyclone or by a 7.6 earthquake. It should be no different for such torrid economic times. For Christ sake this is not a time to be B, D or Other. This is a time for Bajans to come together, put our political differences behind and let us rise to the occasion. Our and our children’s future hang in the balance, is there anyone with the command of the national stage who can tell David, Owen, Mia, Clyde and others that this is not a time for politics as usual. I am fed-up of these idiots placing their overinflated egoes ahead of the needs of our people.
January 8, 2009 at 12:49 pm
canada will go after the offshore accounts and make Canadians pay taxes where they should Barbados benifits very little from the Canadians avoiding taxes!
The USA will go after offshore accounts
Tourism is down and family and friends need to help/
America is expecting things to go from bad to worse.
January 8, 2009 at 1:29 pm
Canada’s two main airlines posted record load factors in December, as widespread economic woes failed to deter holiday-bound travellers.
http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/calgarybusiness/story.html?id=8d41f454-aa1f-4db8-9479-63953c76bab2
January 8, 2009 at 6:22 pm
Hants, you didn’t read that these loads are vacations that were booked before the economy started to turn sour? These people already paid for those vacations months ago.
January 8, 2009 at 6:52 pm
@ PiedPiper
What matters is that more tourist going to Barbados from Canada.
When it gets cold and nasty up here people go on “hot” vacations and Barbados is an option.
Where I live it is -5c with 10cm snow on the ground and another 15cm coming saturday.
Barbados is calling.
January 8, 2009 at 7:34 pm
Hants:
Latest from Google – internet searches for holidays are down, globally, over 50%.
Hope you Canucks can save us, even those Canatrash!
January 8, 2009 at 8:16 pm
Video report from The Real News Network:
Tax Havens: Hidden hand in the financial crisis
Watch it here:
http://therealnews.com/t/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=74&jumival=3067
January 8, 2009 at 9:31 pm
Well haunts CUBA the USA will lift the Embargo
Now what will that do with all the Canadians visiting Cuba when it becomes booming.
Cuba is beautiful having visited , it is just so close to the USA and many will incorporate a trip toCuba and some shopping in Miami.
I agree with Piedpiper. The trips were booked so they went , I know last minute Canadian travelers opted for Dominican republic and cheaper destinies.
Barbados over priced itself, and as pretty as you are.
You have traffic jams., You have too many cars thanks to a certain PM who sold your country out and looted your nation him and his evil disciples.
You need some of that Gems of barbados money back and perhaps some that went through Mr.Brewers hands at the airport if they tell you to just eat cake like Antionette you might threaten some beheadings to get the $$$$ back to feed your nation I mean Geez ask the DLP to make good on their promises
January 8, 2009 at 9:39 pm
Wow green Monkey It appears that the dishonesty of tax havens did play a role in the melt down of the worlds economy,
and since barbados is in the Caribbean and part of this scheme by allowing rich investors to hide assets you can see the mistrust it caused with banks world wide,
This was banking de -regulation at it’s worst.
This is so sad,. Greedy corporations and I have to wonder if in some Caribbean countries with their governments being accused of looting their own countries monies tax payers if they didn’t even grab some of the tax haven and it is being transferred from one island to another to another to Switzerland , and who knows where else.???
January 8, 2009 at 10:02 pm
@ Straight talk
Air Canada and West Jet had a better december 2008 than the previous year so more Canadians were travelling.
I hope we get enough bad weather up here to make some of them head south to Barbados.
I will certainly encourage my friends and business contacts to take a break in “Beautiful hot Barbados”.
January 8, 2009 at 10:10 pm
Cheribaby
” CUBA the USA will lift the Embargo
Now what will that do with all the Canadians visiting Cuba when it becomes booming.”
Then Cuba will become a high priced destination and more Canadians will go to the Dominican Republic and Mexico.
January 9, 2009 at 12:53 am
@Hants
• I hope we get enough bad weather up here to make some of them head south to Barbados.
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I’ve read my share of stupid comments (maybe even posted some myself) on these blogs but that somehow takes the cake. Why would you wish bad weather in a country where you live and make a living so presumably somehow Barbados may profit?
Bad weather or not Canadians will only travel on holiday when they have enough confidence in the economy, and that their jobs will not disappear in the near future.
And as I’ve asked so many times why do you think they will automatically flock to B’dos when there are so many all inclusive places at bargain prices all over the Caribbean?
January 9, 2009 at 1:02 am
What about the wonderful stimulus package our PM has promised us? Not a squeak from him on the mesaures he proposes to implement!!! I believe he is off celebrating his wedding anniversary. I suppose for his party he has his priorities right!!! He needs to wake up and realise that our economy has started to nose dive.
January 9, 2009 at 1:32 am
@ Sargeant
Canadians will travel when it gets really cold and they get tired of snow and ice.
We have snow on the ground,its -10c and more snow coming.
I hope Canadians will take a break in Barbados in spite of your predictions.
I will take 2 this winter and 1 in summer.
January 9, 2009 at 1:10 pm
Hants, I know you mean well but you are now being quite silly. Have you looked at the latest unemployment figures posted in The Toronto Star this morning? Many Canadians who did not already have vacations booked and paid for, will NOT be taking Caribbean vacations this winter regardless of how cold it is and those that can afford to, will go to inexpensive destinations like Cuba and the Dominican Rebuplic. Barbados has priced itself out of reach to the average Canadian and no matter how much you wish otherwise, it will see a significant decline in tourism.
January 9, 2009 at 2:04 pm
http://www.thestar.com/business/article/564381
A downturn in the economy doesn’t appear to have kept Canadian consumers away from their favourite shopping destinations this holiday season.
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20090109/holiday_spending_090109/20090109?hub=TopStories
More silliness Pied Piper and Sargeant.
January 9, 2009 at 5:39 pm
Hants: Just how do you equate shopping for and charging Xmas gifts on credit cards with paying out money for a vacation in Barbados? Regardless of the economy, people will always buy gifts at Xmas time, it’s just a question of how much. It is only over the past few weeks that Canadians have finally been told the truth by their government as to our economic forecast. PM Harper and his ridiculous sidekick, Financial Minister Flaherty, up until 3 weeks ago were playing a game of smoke and mirrors and only after intense pressure and bad press, have now done a 180 degree turn and said YES, Canada is in what will be a prolonged recession with job losses and the banks clamping down on credit and lending. Just yesterday the banks issued a statement that credit card spending limits will be decreased.
You appear to be in a state of denial even though other posters have shown you hard figures from global travel agencies, Barbados hotel vacancies and world-wide company bankruptcies.
January 9, 2009 at 9:51 pm
Perhaps Hants should pay attention to articles like this one from today’s Globe & Mail. BTW Canada’s national newspaper announced today that it will be laying off employees.
Hants said he gets his information from BNN, I think he listens like how an old T& T pal told me Dr. Eric Williams used to respond to information he didn’t want to hear …… he turned off his hearing aid.
http://business.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090109.wflaherty0109/BNStory/Business/home
January 9, 2009 at 9:59 pm
We see you’re back to your old self again – insults and vulgarity. But night duz run until day ketch it.
January 10, 2009 at 6:49 pm
In the 40’s Barbados was nearly self sufficient granted smaller population. If most Barbadian households plant a little vegetable garden and those who can a few fruits trees and government help small farmers with livestock there would be tremendous reduction in imports. We know there will be job losses so we need to help each other. I live in the U.K. and today’s paper had advice on growing your own vegetables. That not that easy especially where I live and at this time of year we are so fortunate in Barbados and don’t realise it.