Opposition Senator Wilfred Abrahams is challenging tourism authorities to begin offering tours of historic Bridgetown at night.
He made the recommendation this evening as the Senate debated the Cruise Ships (Opening of Facilities Amendment) Bill, 2015, which seeks to amend the 2012 Cruise Ships (Opening of Facilities) Act.
If proclaimed, the new law would facilitate the opening of a facility on a cruise ship while the ship is berthed in a Port off Barbados, reduce the application period for a cruise ship to obtain permission to open the facility and provide for an authorized public officer to close the facility if it is deemed necessary.
Abrahams contends that there is room to expand the tourism offerings in the country.
“Barbados is a daytime society. Tours should be organized so that visitors could see Historic Bridgetown and Its Garrison. Tours could also be made at night to such places as Oistins. When people visit a country they want to be exposed to the culture of the people. Barbadians could also be encouraged to participate in the tours,” he said.
Meantime, Independent Senator John Watson has lauded Government’s plan to allow cruise ships to extend their stay in the Bridgetown Port, saying this would drive business in Pelican Village.
In his contribution, he also commended Industry Minister Donville Inniss for listening to the plight of the small business sector.
“I want to commend Minister Donville Inniss for his foresight of setting up a small business committee to develop a small business policy for Barbados. That is something that I think he should be commended for. I also want to commend him for hearing the pleas of the tenants of Pelican Village and he has also set up a committee, which includes the Ministry of Tourism, the Ministry of Culture and tenants association of Pelican Village. That committee is supposed to create some sort of activity at Pelican Village. This is expected to bring traffic through Pelican Village,” he noted.
“I have reasons to believe that during this cruise tourism season or at the beginning of the next season, tenants of Pelican Village will no longer be complaining. The only thing they might be complaining about would be the ability to handle the increase of the traffic passing through Pelican Village,” Watson added.