Tourist statistics for March… say hello to the Germans!

This just in…

In the interest of fairness and accuracy, retired diplomat Peter Simmons stated on Down to Brass Tacks yesterday that visitor arrivals were down 9 per cent for the first three months of 2013.

While long stay visitor arrivals were down 9 per cent in both January and February, they were only down 1.6 per cent in March.

In fact, cruise ship passenger arrivals were up by 9.2 per cent in March 2013. This is when compared with the same periods in 2012.

What was that old saying about statistics and people who use them?

Okay, so we know life is tough ’bout hey, but what does this mean…

March 2013 cruise ship passengers up 9.2% over March 2012

BUT….

March 2013 overall tourist visits down 1.6% compared to March 2012

TRANSLATION…

We had a couple of bigger boats in compared with last year, but the overall visitors are down.

The Germans are coming! The Germans are coming!

We had an extra 367 German visitors in March 2013 over March 2012. How much did those extra visitors cost us in increased BTA spending in Germany? I know you can’t look at it like that because you have to consider the cumulative impact of advertising, but while the Barbados Tourism Authority people will be happy to talk about the increase in Germans, what do they say about the loss of 385 Canadians and 1,431 Americans during the same period?

This is too heavy for me on a Thursday morning. I need a Banks…

=========================================
.                             March        March        Net YoY           YoY%
.                               2013           2012            Change
=========================================
TOTAL                53,304         54,164           -860          -1.6%
U.K                       18,550         17,601            949           5.4%
U.S.A                12,222         13,653         -1,431         -10.5%
Canada              9,086          9,471           -385          -4.1%
Germany            1,343            976            367          37.6%
Other Europe          2,825          2,459            366          14.9%
Trinidad & Tobago  2,937          2,982            -45          -1.5%
Other Caricom         4,237          4,653           -416          -8.9%
Other Countries       2,104          2,369           -265         -11.2%
===========================================
SOURCE: Barbados Statistical Service

Further Reading

Bloomberg Cruise Stats: Barbados Cruise, March 2013

Bloomberg Tourism Stats: Barbados Overall March 2013

Crimes against tourists up 50 percent over last year

Folks, it seems to me that we should be in a full scale emergency mode over the revelations by our Royal Barbados Police Force that everything is going to hell on the south coast.

Economic terrorism is what it is alright, but the stage was set ten years ago when the political class de-funded the police to the extent that very few new recruits are of the quality that Bajans deserve.

But Nevermind the pointing fingers: we doan fix this real soon and you can kiss the economy goodbye even more than we’re already doing.

Time for action. No time left for “community meetings” or “searching for the root cause of crime”.

Time the police opened a new can of Whoop Ass…

Big jump in tourists crime

Crime against visitors are up by almost 50 per cent for the year.

Canadian reader Luvs Bim wonders where the Barbados vacation adverts have gone!

Only one Barbados property listed in Air Canada’s newspaper advertising

contributed by Luvs Bim

Air Canada Vacations’ full page ad in the Travel Section of the March 30 Toronto Star included 23 properties under the heading Caribbean & Mexico.  They were in:

Mexico 4
Cuba 3
Dominican Republic 3
Aruba 2
Antigua 2
Bahamas 2
Saint Lucia 2
Cayman 1
Turks & Caicos 1
Costa Rica 1
Jamaica 1
Barbados 1 (Couples)

Of course, advertising will not cure all that ails the Barbados Tourism Industry; but surely it must be part of the mix needed to reverse the downward spiral.

It is curious that the only property advertising in the Weekend Travel Section in the largest circulation newspaper in Barbados’ third largest market is the one under new Jamaican ownership – even while undergoing updating of their plant.  As there is no flying fish in the ad, Couples must be spending their own advertising budget without assistance from BTA.

Have the Bajan owned resorts closed for the Summer?

Some good news – Thomas Cook to launch 2 weekly flights Manchester to Barbados in Winter 2013

Hey… It’s only two airplanes once a week on Thursday and Sunday, but we need all the help we can get!

Thomas Cook announces new Manchester-Caribbean flights

Thomas Cook Airlines has announced it will fly from Manchester to St Lucia, Antigua and Barbados this winter.

From 10 November the airline will operate weekly Sunday flights on the Manchester-St Lucia-Barbados route, while the Manchester-Antigua-Barbados route will launch on Thursday 19 December. The flights will depart in late morning to allow for regional connections.

“It’s fantastic news that we’re able to offer UK travellers seat-only and holidays from Manchester to some of the most beautiful islands in the Caribbean, initially for the coming winter season,” said Christoph Debus, head of air travel at Thomas Cook Group.

… full news release at Travel Daily Media

Barbados Tourism Authority needs restructuring. Government needs a kick in the behind*

When will we see any government really do something to improve the BTA?

Adrian Loveridge, small hotel owner – now selling!

The honest intention of this column has never been to be controversial for the sake of controversy, but more to pose questions that perhaps often only need to be asked as a result of poor communication.

One of the eight stated tourism DLP objectives contained in the 2008 Manifesto was to restructure the Barbados Tourism Authority. Of course, in over five years holding office it simply did not happen.

Sadly, while I tried to obtain a copy of both party’s 2013 printed Manifestos, our local constituency BLP branch had run out and the DLP office was closed on the day we tried. But I understand that the same objective has been promised again in the second DLP electoral term with a planned formation of two new organisations – one concentrating on marketing and the other dedicated to developing the product.

The question I am therefore asking is: With an overwhelming majority during the period 2008-2013, why could the restructuring not be implemented?   

BFP readers help UWI student with Tourism Survey

Take a few moments and help out Rosie!

BFP reader Rosie is a Hospitality and Tourism Management student studying at the University of the West Indies and she needs our help with a Tourism Survey she has posted on Facebook.

It’s a “No Typing” survey where you simply click on your choice. So easy that even our own George could do it on a bad day – except he’s not a tourist!

So how about it, folks… please direct your VFRs (visiting friends and relatives) to Rosie’s Tourism Survey.

And if you yourself are a tourist, well… what are you waiting for?

A big thank you from Rosie!

 

Harlequin’s Merricks Resort: Easter Sunday March 31, 2013

Click photos for full size

 

The Germans are coming! The Germans are coming!

Great News! New air service will bring Germans to Barbados

Adrian Loveridge, small hotel owner – now selling!

According to recent media releases, European travel giant TUI will operate direct charter flights fortnightly from Hamburg, Germany’s second city and the sixth largest in the European Union commencing November 2013.  This will give Barbados two routes from the most travelled per capita population in the world, adding northern Germany to the current Frankfurt flight.

The UNWTO World Tourism Barometer estimated that Germans spent US$80.8 billion outside their own country in 2009.

The great circle distance of 4,661 miles will mean a flying time of just over 9 hours and the flights will be operated by a B767-300 of a TUI Dutch affiliate ARKEfly, with 265 seats in two classes. Hamburg is currently the fifth largest airport in Germany, handling nearly 14 million passengers a year, served by 60 airlines to 115 domestic and international destinations.

Justifying the move which includes other destinations in the region, Christian Clemens, CEO of TUI Deutschland Gmbh., stated ‘our choice of Hamburg as a departure airport was very deliberate. We have a unique selling proposition here, because there are, to date, no non-stop long haul flights from Hamburg to the Caribbean or Mexico’.

Recent research by the company revealed that one in four Germans wanted to undertake long-haul travel. Market leader TUI is presently experiencing record 30 per cent booking growth in this segment for winter 2013/14. TUI is already Germany’s largest tour operator, with a market share of around 20 per cent. With excellent rail and S-Bahn links to/from its airport, it will also open up not just Northern Germany but also Southern Denmark – perhaps two of the European countries least negatively affected by the global recession.

From our tourism partners point of view, the 14 night bookings will be a welcome relief from the recent trend towards shorter stays. Also depending on the final day of operation chosen, it could well be a perfect fit for a cruise and stay programme – perhaps appealing especially to the smaller ships like Star Clipper and the SilverSea and Seabourne brands.

Help Malou win her contest and promote Barbados at the same time

Barbados – Biggest Baddest Bucket List entry by Malou Morgan

The winner travels the world for 6 months to 25 destinations of their choice and blogs, films and photographs everything they experience along the way. This is a huge opportunity to market Barbados globally and I am trying to use this to my advantage.

I have pledged $US 5,000 to the Diabetes Association of Barbados if I win this competition, to raise awareness and support a cause dear to my heart.

I have also reached out to friends who are involved in non-profit organisations & charities around the world, so that I can visit their countries and connect with their cause. If I win, I’ll be featuring their cause, volunteering wherever I’m needed and creating as much hype as possible. I’d like to use this publicity to benefit as many people as possible.

My video on Barbados has received a lot of support so far, but I need to make it to the Top 5 to become a finalist. I’m far from making the top 5 number of votes and I’m therefore asking that you PLEASE share & spread this message to as many people & businesses around the world as possible so that I can make it to the top 5 by March 31st.

Thank you!

Malou

Voting is easy:

1. Visit www.voteformalou.com

2. Scroll down until you see the social media box

3. Vote via the social media buttons. Each social media account is a separate vote!

Vote for Malou’s entry here…

Don’t forget to visit Malou’s blog: Skip to Malou*

The magical world of Barbados government tourism statistics and expenditures

So many questions, so few answers. So little planning…

Adrian Loveridge, small hotel owner – now selling!

The Barbados Government’s Budget setting out the Estimates of Expenditure and Revenue for the financial year 2013/2014 lists that ‘a subvention of $101.7 million has been provided to the Barbados Tourism Authority to facilitate marketing and promotion’.

At first it seems a simple enough stated intent, but what does it really mean?

‘Marketing and promotion’. What will ultimately be spent on these two critical functions after all other expenses are taken out?

Salaries, per diem allowances, the much vaunted restructuring costs possibly including an allowance for severance, consultancy fees, lease payments on luxury SUV vehicles, recent office moving expenses, outstanding debts, overseas offices, depreciation, interest.

The list goes on and on.

Perhaps even more pertinent, will the whole budgeted amount even actually be available to the organisation? Or will they become cash starved again far before the end of the next financial year – contributing to another near devastating fall in arrival numbers?

Bearing in mind the fragile state of the industry, wouldn’t it also be wise to ensure that the private sector is fully informed of any recovery plans to ensure limited available resources from them is not squandered by duplicating efforts?

I recently saw a prediction that 2013 would end the year ‘flat’ in terms of arrivals, but that would mean a growth rate of more than 6.2 per cent this year alone, just to make up for the loss in 2012. And ‘a rise in tourism figures by the end of March 2014’ was also forecast.

Given that somewhere between 12 and 20 hotels are already up for sale, I seriously wonder how many more can economically hang on until even marginal viability returns. 

During the budget debate the Minister Of Finance anticipated a 0.9 per cent growth in tourism during the financial year ending 31st March 2014. Is that enough to avoid further closures and lay-offs? That is on top of what so far has been a very disappointing peak winter season, compounded by a virtual moratorium on sustained marketing for several months.

Frankly, I have never been a great fan of predictions. I would rather rely on strategies and courses of action which incorporate a high degree of possible success – strategies that actually make things happen.

Also the figures when compared above start to confuse me. Yes of course there is a difference with a datical and fiscal year, but in this case they both possess three of the much higher yield critical winter months; January, February and March.

So a minimum 6.2 per cent increase in long stay visitors ‘to end the year flat’,  but only ‘a 0.9 per cent growth in tourism’ during the financial year ending 2014. That 6.2 per cent would equate to enticing another 33,250 long stay visitors. So the question that should be asked is this: Based on current average stay and spend, would this equate to a 0.9 per cent growth?

Once again, we are left asking so many questions and obtaining so few answers.

Travel + Leisure Magazine does undeserved hack job on Barbados

by Happy Visitor

You have to wonder about the reasoning behind the Travel + Leisure magazine article about the 2013 World Economic Forum’s Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index.

The WEF rated Barbados at a very respectable 27 out of 140 countries rated and near the very top in a number of categories: Sanitary (1), Hospital beds per population (12), Regulatory framework (13), Prioritization of Travel & Tourism (8), Ground transport infrastructure (9), Affinity for Travel & Tourism (2), Education quality (7) and so on.

But what does Travel + Leisure magazine focus upon? We did poorly for Natural Resources (133). That’s no surprise given our population density, lack of natural resources, water shortage and frankly, successive governments and a population that don’t seem bothered by trash or paving over natural habitats. Yes, we could use some big improvements in that sector, but with all we have to offer and how well we did overall, it is unfair for the magazine to mention one of our few faults without commenting on our overall standing or successes featured in the WEF’s Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index.

Further Reading

2013 World Economic Forum’s Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index (PDF 6mb)

Tour-operator driven business model killing Barbados tourism industry

“So many of our hoteliers are contemplating simply throwing in the towel”

Adrian Loveridge, small hotel owner – now selling!

Like many other people involved in the tourism sector, I have wondered for a very long time exactly how financial data is collected and used to shape national tourism policy.

As part of the arduous lead up to prepare all the required paperwork for the eventual sale of our small hotel, we have to obtain many official documents. This includes a Certificate of Good Standing from the Corporate Affairs and Intellectual Property Office to state they have in their possession our last twenty something years of certified accounts.

Don’t get me wrong – I have absolutely no objection to them having every intimate detail of our financial trading over the previous two decades. But I just wonder: Is any part of the information we voluntarily supply passed on to Ministries, including tourism, or other institutions like the Central Bank, so that it can be used in defining policy making?

Without reasonable profits, hotels cannot maintain the quality of their tourism product

What prompted these thoughts was looking through a real estate description of one of the many hotels that are on the market for sale and trying to fully understand all of the reasons why such a large percentage of our accommodation providers desperately need to be upgraded.

The hotel in question has 150 rooms located on a 525 feet wide prime beachfront site and spread over about 5 acres on the south coast. According to the agent, the hotel has ‘generated significant annual gross revenue averaging more than BDS$10 million over the last four years’.

At first, it looks an attractive acquisition prospect, but then consider this…

If the BDS$10 million quoted is annual turnover, then with an average occupancy level of 65 per cent across the year, which is considerably higher than the ‘norm’ on Barbados, that would only equate to BDS$281, or US$140 per room per occupied night. Clearly, it cannot be overly profitable or the agent would not qualify the offering with ‘it is being offered well below replacement cost’.

Has the over reliance on tour operator generated business and prolonged periods of discounting eroded margins to the point where so many of our hoteliers are contemplating simply throwing in the towel?

When conducting a comparison with our own small Peach & Quiet Hotel property, we averaged BDS$454, or US$227 per occupied room night in the last financial year ended – mostly due to the fact that almost 100 per cent of our business is booked directly at rack rate.

Last week, UK travel giant, Thomas Cook announced it was closing another 195 high street stores, shedding more than 2,500 jobs. The British trade body, ABTA, estimate over 1,400 agencies have closed their doors during the last ten years and that’s in the United Kingdom alone.

People are booking for themselves using the internet

A recent TripAdvisor survey polled across 35,000 people, conducted between December 2012 and January 2013, concluded that only 7 per cent of holidaymakers went into a travel agency to actually book their last holiday.  27 per cent booked via web-based travel agencies and 23 per cent direct with the accommodation’s own website. What does the remaining 47 per cent do?

So clearly the distribution of our product and way it is booked has dramatically changed, yet ‘we’ as a destination appear to be doing things in the same old way.

Is it time that we look very carefully at how, as a destination, ‘our’ business is both generated and delivered – to see not only the best way we can claw back the arrival numbers, but also maximise the revenue earned?

Barbados Finance Minister says taxpayers’ money to be recovered on Four Seasons sale. Do you believe him?

We don’t believe Chris Sinckler… Do You?

Chris Sinckler says that the Government of Barbados is about to sell the disastrous Four Seasons project and that Bajan taxpayers “should be walking away from it with all of its monies intact.”

I’ll believe that when I see the books and the reports that you know we’ll never see. Bajan politicians and governments don’t allow public accountability when it comes to massive losses resulting from government foolishness.

I don’t believe Minister Sinckler. There have to be losses to taxpayers. This fiasco has been going on too long and there’s too much public money into it… We just don’t know how much of our public money is into the Four Seasons because the government doesn’t allow us to know. Former Prime Minister David Thompson said that the Four Seasons project was “extremely risky”. Now his old political friends are saying it’s no problem.

Why is the truth and transparency so difficult to find on this island?

That’s easy: because the political elites like it that way so they won’t pass Integrity Legislation or Freedom of Information.

Do you believe Christ Sinckler?

Further Reading

Nation News Seasons switch

Tourist: Barbados locals “all amazing friendly”

But then Grantley Adams Airport Security gave these visitors something else to remember…

I have just returned from Barbados after spending 14 nights there. I found the locals all amazing friendly, however on our departure security found disposable lighters in my handbag which they removed, no big deal. Then they found a gold dunhill lighter in my husband’s manbag and confiscated that too.

“Did airport security properly log and deposit the valuable gold Dunhill lighter, or was it pocketed and stolen?”

(A question by BFP’s editor Marcus)

I pleaded with the supervisor to allow us to take as his father left it to him when he died, but she refused. I asked if we could post but she said no there are no post boxes, yet there was outside our departure gate. I asked if I could back through to get my luggage and put in the main suitcases, but she was having none of this.

So leaving the island left a rather bad taste with us. We were told it’s probably on the streets right now being sold. So please anyone having anything like a good lighter do not carry on you. Once we went through into departure I refused to buy any duty free goods as I would not spend another penny there.

Yours truly

Sharon Gay

Loveridge on Barbados election results: So many expectations, so little change

“We are currently facing an extended softer eight long summer months without any national marketing plan in place.”

Adrian Loveridge, small hotel owner

I suppose you can put in down to my naivety, so long in coming, so many great expectations and then in hindsight, the reality of the situation. Almost 40 per percent of the eligible electorate chose not to vote, the status quo re-elected for a second term by a precariously small majority and just microscopic adjustments made to the governance of an industry in crisis.

At least, that seems to be the scenario so far.

Clearly there are plus points. Irene Sandiford-Garner, appointed as a Parliamentary Secretary in the re-configured Ministry and Tourism and International Transport, when many of us years later are still puzzling why the two bodies were ever separated in the first place. The Senator brings her abilities in marketing to the table just at a time when this discipline is needed more than ever.

Shadowing the Ministry is Santia Bradshaw. While I don’t want to diminish her abundant legal qualifications, I am far from convinced that we need or want any more lawyers involved in tourism policy making. But she is also an entrepreneur and after looking at her website, I was personally impressed with the high level of presentation. Hopefully she can add value and youthful objectivity to the sector from a constructive opposition stance.

“While the global recession and the dreaded APD tax have helped stifle growth in visitor arrival numbers, they are not the sole cause of our dismal performance in tourism.”

Now is the time for solutions.  

“With great sadness and best wishes” a British tourist says goodbye to Barbados forever

Daytime tourist robbery costs us another loyal visitor

Dear Sir/Madam

I have today read the report of Barry Alleyne concerning the theft of jewellery from visitors and tourists. I believe the problem is far worse than perceived and is being suppressed/under-reported. I am not convinced that the police have any effective crime pattern analysis to know where they should be actively patrolling, advising visitors and undertaking their duty of protection of all people, and especially tourists.

On Friday 1 March 2013, in Bay Street near Harbour Lights, my wife was violently assaulted, injured and robbed of two valuable necklaces, by two young local low-life, cowardly, vile thugs. The police were less than effective in their caring treatment of my wife and their lack of effective evidence gathering left me less than impressed or confident in they had the resources or ability to gather evidence or investigate crime in a meaningful manner.

We have walked this route many times having been advised it was safe to do so. It can no longer currently be regarded as safe for tourists.

The disturbing aspect for Barbadian authorities is that this violent robbery took place in broad daylight, just after nine in the morning, during the rush hour with many witnesses. Some serious questions now need answering by the various Authorities and politicians.

“We have been coming to Barbados for many years since my wife loves the island and climate for her health, and loves the many friends and decent hard-working Bajan people that we have met.”

However, my duty is to protect my wife from unnecessary risk. It had been our intention to return to Barbados year on year for as long as we could afford it and were healthy enough to do it. We were already booked to come next year. I am now intending to cancel this with great sadness and it is likely we will never return. There are many safer places for tourists. I will be advising my extended family accordingly, as well as writing to the many contacts I have within the UK tourism industry including large Cruise companies, the UK police, Foreign Office and others.

This robbery, of course, is my main distress, but there are many other visitors who agree that other serious issues are fast going downhill here and need addressing.

Hard times coming to Bim. Are you ready?

“Booming Bim? Here is the current state of affairs at the Almond Hotel. We were there last week and it’s not pretty.”

… an old friend sends a photo to BFP (click on photo for large)

How many people do you know still waiting for VAT and tax refunds? If you’re like us, you know plenty. The government doan have much money these days.

How many people do you know who were laid off in the last year and haven’t managed to find another real job? Answer: lots and lots.

How many hotels and businesses gone or just hanging on? How many shops in the city are understaffed because they laid off the newbies when the “high season” tanked this January?

Been to the Gap lately? You could have Jamaican gang shootouts on the street and not hurt a soul. Maybe we should rent the place out for that purpose… at least then there would be something happening at the Gap!

And let’s not get started about how many airline seats we lost in the last year with Dallas Fort-Worth, Atlanta. Let’s not talk about CLICO, the downgrades or raiding our NIS pensions to “invest” in doomed hotel projects.

We’ve said it before, and we’ll keep saying it…

1/ Shun debt. Shun expenses. Live as frugally as you can.

2/ Work hard, save what you can.

3/ Look after family and friends as you are able because you might need their help someday.

4/ Learn to grow food, repair your own car, maintain your own home. Repair clothes, repair everything. Don’t buy new anything: let some other fool pay the depreciation!

5/ Smile at the tourists, make them feel welcome but never pressured. Pick up the rubbish where you can and never do anything that takes away from the beauty of Bim.

6/ Thank God for what you do have – then get back to working harder than you ever have before.

We can do this, folks. But it can’t be business as usual.

“Gimme a ticket to Barbados, one way”

Funny, sad… and a little bit of de truth!

Avicii vs Nicky Romero: I could be the one.