With little in the way of natural resources – as against fellow CARICOM member countries Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Jamaica and Suriname – to ‘shout about’ Barbados has, over the years, done a more than a credible job in combining the attractions of its island-in-the-sea lure with its national proclivity for hospitality to cause it be the ‘pick’ of Caribbean Community (CARICOM) member countries where visitor arrivals is concerned. Which is why, over the years, the island has become the favoured territory in the region for the hosting of international events designed to ‘show off’ some of the natural attractions of the region.
Oil and gas may be the jewel in the crown of Trinidad and Tobago, and more recently, in those of Guyana and Suriname; in the instance of Barbados, the island has made its name on the virtues of serenity, tranquility, a usually low crime of crime, this latter virtue being rather less pronounced in Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica, the three other high-profile CARICOM member countries. It is Barbados’ ‘island beauty’ and its proclivity for low crime levels which, for the most part, comprise the lure that draws much of the rest of the world to an island whose economy depends, to an overwhelming extent, on income associated with visitor arrivals and with the attendant hospitality which it offers.
