White Paper on the Development of Tourism in Barbados is the national guide for the sustained growth of the Barbados tourism sector to ensure that the sector leads economic growth, social progress and environmental sustainability. Achieving the targets set out in this policy paper will be challenging. It will only be through a comprehensive and integrated effort, that Barbados will be able to realize the full potential of tourism as a bankable growth sector for the 21st century. To make this possible, the Government of Barbados continues to make the industry a priority in national policy decisions, foster the development of competitive and responsible business models and practices and increase cooperation between the public and private sectors.
This document is therefore of special importance, not only for the tourism industry of Barbados and the many constituencies which the industry serves, but most especially, the people of Barbados. As a consequence, this White Paper was developed with input from hundreds of tourism public and private sector stakeholders, Labour, NGOs, CBOs and citizens. The priorities and ideas detailed herein are the result of in-depth tourism and socio-economic research and analyses, public meeting consultations, focus groups and interviews with leaders and individuals from all sectors of the community. As such, the policies in this Paper are a tangible expression of the hopes, dreams and aspirations of the Barbadian people. Yet, it is not only today’s citizens that the travel and tourism sector and this policy paper must ultimately serve, but their children, their grandchildren and generations beyond. This Paper seeks to provide a framework to achieve such a goal. It is a call to action for every Barbadian to rally behind this unifying direction to develop a world class, highly competitive, inclusive tourism product and to capitalize on every opportunity the industry offers for creating revolutionary short to medium term economic and social transformation.