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Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Slave Route Signage Project

"IN A QUEST to promote cultural tourism and to honour this country's slave heritage, the Government is embarking on a "Slave Route Signage Project".

To this end, today Minister of Tourism Richard Sealy officially launched the Project with a Plaque Reveal ceremony at the site of Chefette Restaurant, Upper Broad Street, Bridgetown. ..."


Click here for entire NationNews.com article.
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Divi Southwinds Going Green

"...A major component of going green involves minimal use of harmful or harsh chemicals.....like the introduction of a system that considerably reduces the use of chlorine in its swimming pool..."

Click here for entire CBC.bb article.
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Tuesday, August 26, 2008

First Impressions

>>puppydog>> "My first impressions after leaving the airport and enroute to my hotel Question Well i saw immence wealth then poverty but i never felt they were poor.I saw chickens and goats in gardens,and locals sat on there varandahs chatting to each other..I saw the most immaculately dressed school children and then i saw the sea wow...The first night i heard the whistling frogs and in the morning as i sat on the balcony and shared my breakfast with the most amazing coloured birds, I thought this is going to be a very special island to me.And it was... "

Click here for other first impressions of Barbados or to share yours.
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Saturday, August 23, 2008

Hastings - Rockley Beach Improvement 2007



The above synth is a collage of photos taken last year (2007) of the beachfront in the vicinity of the KFC restaurant in Hastings, Christ Church on the south coast tourism strip. The project involves the widening of the beach between Hastings and Rockley by building a series of artificial headlands between which sand is being deposited to reconstruct beaches in the area that have been eroded over time. It also involves the construction of a boardwalk stretching the entire length of the project and a small park on the headland by KFC. There are four frames in this synth that were taken in March of 2007 before the project started showing the completely eroded beachfront as it appeared looking south towards Rockley from the KFC location. All the others frames were taken in October 2007 when construction of the headland by KFC was in full swing.
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Friday, August 22, 2008

Airport Roof Extension

happydays writes:  "Just been reading that they are going to start to extend the roof over the check in area - can't picture where it means properly - I thought all the check in desks were under cover? Confused the only part I can think of is that they are going to extend into the road?
Also it mentioned that some wanted an enclosed air conditioned check in area Sad but thankfully that isn't happening yet
..."


Click here for discussion.

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Public/Private Beaches

Jprkjr writes: "I see that there is a post on TA re Mullins and the PPB thing again. As I understand it, due to the British past of Barbados, an owner on the land adjacent to a beach owns the land down to the highwater mark (with some controversy over accretion which has to be "gradual", and what is actually the highwater mark). Our family used to own a shack-on-the-beach in North Wales and I know, for a fact, that it was the same for us. So, if that is the case in Barbados, the beach in front of the various hotels is, in fact, private to the highwater line, but it is illegal to block-off access to the beach because it is denying access to the land below the highwater line..."


Click here for forum discussion.
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Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Pierhead Project Status

"IN 2007, the Barbados Tourism Investment Inc. (BTII) continued its work with the private sector in developing its properties. Included on that list of properties was tender procurement for the Pierhead Development Project.

The Pierhead Development Project, which was conceptualised in 1999 and was estimated at $130 million, had a projected time frame of five to seven years with investors coming on board early in 2000.

However, in 2007, the BTII said it had initiated a BOLT [Built Operation Lease and Transfer] Tender Procurement Process during the period under review, with a view to finding a partner to assist it in the construction of the Marina component of the Pierhead Development Project.

This process was ongoing at the end of the reporting period.

In addition, BTII was continuing discussions with its private sector partners concerning the development of the land-based component of the project, following the signing of the Management Agreement with the Le Meridien Hotel chain..."

Click here for entire BarbadosAdvocate.com article.
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Saturday, August 16, 2008

Solar Trams For South Coast Tours

"There are proposals before the Ministry of Transport for persons to introduce solar-powered vehicles to promote tours in particular areas of our cities and our town centres, like Dover and St Lawrence Gap, and in the city centre itself, outside of the cruise terminal, outside of the harbour to bring persons into Bridgetown for short tours..."

Click here for original NationNews.com article.
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Friday, August 15, 2008

Barbados rates high for luxury homes

"Homeowners at the highest end of the real estate market still have a dream house in mind and islands like Barbados play a factor in where some call home, according to the 2008 Coldwell Banker Previews International Luxury Survey..."

Click here for entire article.
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Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Government hoping Sam Lord's will lift economy

"On this occasion there was a slowdown in construction which had registered growth over the years as a result of preparation for Cricket World Cup, and other infrastructural projects.

However, Government said it will be starting a housing development programme in August, while a major expansion project at Sam Lords Castle is expected to commence later in the year. These will add some buoyancy to construction."

Click here for entire article.

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First Night In Barbados

"Just wondering what other people do on their first night in Barbados after a long flight (food wise..."

Click here for the entire discussion.
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Sunday, August 10, 2008

Tourism 'not falling off'

"MINISTER OF TOURISM, Richard Sealy has stated that in spite of not having a Cricket World Cup (CWC) this year. Barbados' tourism performance almost equals last year's..."

Click here for the entire NationNews.com article.
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Re-engineering Palmetto Bay For The Almighty Dollar


If you like picturesque beaches the way nature intended them, then get out your camera and head to Palmetto Bay before it is eternally too late. If Bottom Bay is one of the most beautiful beaches in Barbados, then its nearby neighbor, Palmetto Bay, is a close second. But all of that is about to change forever if the once-thought-dead proposals for a 5-star resort on Palmetto Bay see the light of day. According to the second quarterly newsletter from Harlequin, the British company behind the Merricks development, they are proposing to build an offshore partially submerged breakwater to create a "swimming area" for the resort. They claim they are doing the necessary environmental impact studies but one doesn't have to be an environmental scholar to see that any barrier visible above waves at Palmetto Bay (as pictured above [click photo to enlarge]) will fundamentally changed character of that beach.

The Merricks resort development has always been problematic ever since they started advertising their "private beach" on Palmetto Bay some years ago. Now it looks as if they are willing to destroy one of the most beautiful beaches in Barbados to achieve that end. I suppose when you are charging between US $ 1/2 M to 2 M for condos and villas you had better come up with a swimmable beach even if you have to make one, but do you also have the right to sacrifice one of the island's treasures? Don't they have enough water and swimming pools in their current pool-deck design for the resort to realize that even the villa owners and guests could come to recognize that leaving the beach as is and/or completely submerging the breakwater could be a great asset rather than the liability they will undoubtedly create for themselves and the island?

The Merricks was supposedly originally coming on stream this year but is now delayed until the end of 2012. In the humble opinion of this blogger who has been following this development for the last few years, most of the problems associated with it stem from the simple fact that the area in which it is to be located is just not suited for the scale and scope of development they have or had in mind. Maybe a small boutique hotel would work here but certainly not Crane II. This is the reason why their plans have gone through half dozen or so incarnations and none of them seem to work. This latest proposal to re-engineer Palmetto Bay is simply just another grandiose scheme to make their bad plans for the area work. The question is - are Barbadians willing to pay the price?
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Thursday, August 7, 2008

Is It Gibbs Or Gibbes

With the rise of the popularity of Gibbes Beach around the bend south of Mullins Beach has come some confusion as to how its name should be spelled and pronounced. Click here for the definitive answer.
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Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Tourism Master Plan In Oven Going On 8 Months

"A MASTER PLAN designed to ensure Barbados stays ahead of the competition is on the Barbados Tourism Authority's (BTA) drawing board..."

Read entire NationNews.com article here.
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Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Where To Find A Taxi In Holetown

All you need to know about finding a taxi in Holetown but was afraid to ask.

Click here for our recommendations.
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Monday, August 4, 2008

No Mention Of Pierhead Project In Budget

It is significant that there was no mention of the Pierhead project in last month's presentation of the Budget by the new Prime Minister. Consequently, it is left to us bloggers and other onlookers to speculate as to what might be going down (or going up for that matter). What the Prime Minister did say was that he was talking to deep-pocketed players who want to build islands and marinas off Barbados. Could it also mean that the long awaited Pierhead project is now being merged into this new thinking? If so, are we going to have to wait another dozen or so years for this project to get off the ground or come out of the water? So far only Starwood Hotels has committed to managing a luxury hotel to anchor the project but they are already busily getting into management contracts for their long list of luxury brands elsewhere in the Caribbean, so they are losing nothing the longer the process in Barbados is drawn out. Ultimately, it is the people of Barbados themselves who will miss the boat if they don't "head for the pier" in time.
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Saturday, August 2, 2008

Barbados TravelAdvisor's 2 Thumbs Up For Mamma Mia

As summer 2008 begins to wind its way down some will remember it for the music of a generation ago brought back to life on the silver screen in the film Mama Mia.

Click here to join our forum in the discussion.


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