The Roots of America Wind through Barbados, the Caribbean’s Easternmost Island

In defining his approach to his job, Richard Williams, the Barbados Tourist Authority’s vice president of marketing and sales for the Americas, says, “We will focus on the retail travel trade much more than we have in the past. I want a much deeper partnership with agents.”

With an estimated 70 percent of all U.S. bookings to the Caribbean coming through agents, it’s a partnership worth cultivating.

To sell Barbados effectively, agents must distinguish it from the other Caribbean nations. According to Williams, though the island’s beauty and beaches are among the region’s finest, what really sets Barbados apart is its history. In 1751, the 19-year-old George Washington wrote of Barbados that “scarcely any part is deprived of a beautiful prospect both of sea and land....” 

The Barbados that Washington visited was a financial and cultural capital of the New World colonies. Many of the best and the brightest leaders of 18th-century Barbados went on to become founders of the 13 colonies. In 1652, 124 years before the Declaration of Independence was signed in Philadelphia, Barbados signed its own declaration, denouncing “taxation without representation.”

One of the places where Bajans mix with visitors is Oisten’s Fish Market in Christ Church, a place to indulge in authentic dishes. Lexie’s Bar has down-home charm, and the buffet at the Atlantis Hotel has a reputation for what it calls “ABC” (“All Bajan Cuisine”). Fridays are the top days at Oisten’s, when clients are most likely to find a “jump up,” as parties are called. You might also recommend a tour of the Mountgay Rum Distillery, the world’s oldest.

In addition to sun and sand, agents can sell Barbados along a number of niches, including heritage tours (7 million Americans trace their roots through Barbados), home and garden tours, eco-tours, adventure and diving. 

Barbados has also been making an effort to penetrate the African-American market, which spends about $40 billion a year in tourism-related activities. Boyce’s Tours, for instance, offers professional lecturers on the subject of Afro-Barbadian culture.

Another special interest to highlight is golf. The island is home to some exceptional courses, including the 18-hole, par-72 Ron Kirby course at the Barbados Golf Club; the three courses at the Sandy Lane Golf Club; and the 18-hole Robert Trent Jones Jr. championship course at the Royal Westmoreland Golf and Country Club. 

There are nearly 7,000 rooms in the island’s hotel inventory with planned properties by Four Seasons and Banyan Tree.

“The Cricket World Cup brought significant investment in small properties of 10 to 25 rooms,” says Williams. “We were already strong in luxury properties, but these upgraded small, locally owned inns and guest houses give us a small, very affordable product that will help us further distinguish ourselves from the competition.”

Several local operators offer tours to significant heritage sites: Boyce’s Tours, Glory Tours, Hinkson’s Tours, Adventureland 4x4 Tours and Island Safari. The Highland Adventure Centre organizes horseback riding, mountain biking and trekking. 

In the past, one obstacle to selling Barbados was getting there. But Air Jamaica now has a scheduled nonstop flight to Barbados from New York that also offers beyond service to St. Lucia and Grenada. Thus far the airline is delighted with the returns. “Barbados,” says Paul Pennicook, Air Jamaica’s senior vice president of sales and marketing, “is a great destination on its own and a terrific hub to Eastern Caribbean islands.”

Land-based overnight visitors from the U.S. must have a passport. Cruise passengers continuing on to other destinations are not required to carry a passport.