Barbados welcomed over 2000 Australian cricket fans, including 300 Aussie Fanatics, visited Barbados during the just concluded West Indies vs. Australia test series and among them was one special cricket lover, Gus (left), who will star in a reality show entitled “Aussie Goes to Calypso”.

The fun-loving, risk-taking Australian, though not a typical TV star by any stretch of the imagination, has been intriguing millions of views of Fox Australia by showing them the tourism value of various cricketing destinations from the eyes of “an ordinary bloke”.

Matthew Weiss, producer of Granada TV, speaking on behalf of himself and his crew, two producers, three camera operators, an audio operator and a location coordinator gave a summary of the observational documentary.

“Viewers can relate easily to him because Gus is just a cricket fan, not trying to be polished guy who gets out there and tries everything. 

“Gus thinks he’s the Australian team’s lucky charm!  At heart he’s just a fun-loving cricket fan who shows views, different foods and lots of tourist activities as he follows the team to their various international matches.

“In Barbados he enjoyed a visit to St. John’s church, surfing lessons, Aerial Trek and eating souse!  He’ll try anything.  We film him in the crowd all day.  He’s also a very good cricket player.”

Gus proved that he has been picking up a thing or two from trailing the world No. 1 Australian cricket team during a friendly match between the Banks/ BTA’s Legends and the Aussie Fanatics at the Dover Cricket Field last month.  Gus scored a hearty 69 though Fanatics would eventually lose to the BTA’s Legends who had set a modest total of 188 runs in the 20/ 20 match.

Once this episode is completed, says Weiss, Barbados’ tourism industry stands to benefit tremendously as Gus’ positive impressions of the island are great word-of-mouth marketing for the destination.

“It’ll give Australians a real view of what happens when you come to Barbados.  They’ll see the character and people how friendly they are, how easy it is to get around.  The roads are good here and everything runs very good.  Also there are beautiful beaches. 

“The people who watch it think it could be them because he’s normal.  Australians are very laid back easy going and love the outdoor lifestyle and good music and it’s a part of the culture here in Barbados.”

The program “Aussie goes to Calypso” will air multiple times over the next three years and is estimated to have a value of US $1.95 million, excluding the cost of airtime. “

Baxters Road ready for Festival

Renovations of the Baxter’s Road Fish Fry facilities are scheduled to be completed in time to coincide with the Crop Over 2008 festivities.

The renovation efforts, a part of the Urban Redevelopment Programme (URP), are being executed by the Barbados Tourism Investment Inc. (BTII) on behalf of the Barbados government.

BTII representative and administrative assistant communications (URP) Susan Bishop, confirmed that a tentative opening date of Friday July 25, 2008 has been established, adding that the renovated facilities will be open for business the following day Saturday, July 26, 2008.

Manager product integration, Andrea Franklin (left), BTA, has expressed her contentment on the initiative, stating that this represents positive “product development through reviving the traditional fish fry in Baxter’s Road while uplifting the image of the area to be more parallel with the Oistin's Fish Fry.“

The new Baxter’s Road facilities will include improved lighting, better housing for vendors in the form of kiosks, and more welcoming landscaping.

The Baxter’s Road Fish Fry is located in the heart of Bridgetown, giving it a more central and convenient location than hot-spot sister venue Oistin’s Fish Fry.

JUNIOR MINISTER OF TOURISM CONTEST CHURNS OUT BRIGHT IDEAS

Fourteen Barbadian students matched wits, ideas and creativity last Monday, July 7 in a bid to become Junior Minister of Tourism 2008-9.

To their delight the present Minister, Hon. Richard Sealy, was present to deliver the introductory remarks during which he endorsed their involvement in the sector as young people.

"Young people will be the muscle of the sector in the months to come. We have to think outside the box . . . [and] I will be tuning in to see what you have to say," he said.

The competition, which took place at the Sherbourne Conference Centre, took the form of a cabinet meeting where each participant was asked to speak on behalf of a constituency. 

Each participant was asked to deliver two oral presentations on issue of climate change and its impact on tourism, and community tourism, with emphasis on recommendations.

Some of the creative ideas put forward toward curbing climate change included taxing the profits of entities the produce excessive green houses cases; reinforcing physical structures to guard against extreme weather conditions; and developing cartoons characters that would educate persons of the negative impact of their daily actions such as dumping and excessive use of public utilities on the environment. 

Ideas for developing community tourism ranged from providing incentives for locals who provide authentic tours for visitors and establishing entertainment, culinary and other centers in various parishes. 

The eventual winner was Jason Yearwood, the honorary member for Christ Church South and student of Queen’s College, who will represent Barbados at the Caribbean Tourism Organizations’ Regional Youth Congress later this year.

The participating schools were Queen's College, Combermere, The Lodge School, Springer Memorial, Ellerslie, Coleridge & Parry, Christ Church Foundation and Harrison College.

  Junior Minister of Tourism 2008-9, Jason Yearwood, flanked by third place Neco Ifill (left) and Che Greenidge (right).

Barbados a preferred destination for English-learning students

This past Tuesday, July 8, the Barbados Tourism Authority opened its doors to a group of students from Martinique, who are presently participating in a cultural exchange to improve their proficiency in English.

The group of 30 students, ranging from 11 – 18 years of age, visited the head office at Harbour Road accompanied by overall coordinator of the tour Madame Maryse Francois, Director of the Caribbean Community Business Development (CCBD).

Business development manager, Caribbean and Latin America, Stacey Hutchinson, BTA, welcomed the group and gave a concise presentation on tourism in Barbados and the importance of the Caribbean market.

 “Barbados continues to be a preferred destination for students from the French West Indies who seek to learn and improve their use of English as a foreign language. We trust that this experience would be beneficial and hope that they would encourage other Martiniquans to visit Barbados,” she declared.

The students will be in Barbados for one month, during which they will be hosted by various Barbadian families.

Other activities on island include daily classes in English, island tours and visits to various attractions including Harrison’s Cave and shopping in Bridgetown.

© 2008 Barbados Tourism Authority