The Sands Of Time Tick Against The Boardwalk

Several months ago I sang the praises of the new boardwalk at Hastings (see On the boardwalk: If you build it we will come). My wife has become one the boardwalk's regular visitors for a midweek stroll with our daughter. I don't go often. I freely admit to not being a regular walker there but had met a film crew from a nearby French-speaking island who were working with the Barbados Tourism Board to make a film of the new attraction.

So, I was saddened to receive yesterday a YouTube video from a friend, which has also been posted on Facebook, and seems to show that the boardwalk is being overtaken by the ravages of nature and a good amount of neglect, for which blame will fall on the Coastal Zone Management Unit.



The video was produced by a Barbadian photographer, Andrew Hulsmeier, who has produced a few other videos about aspects of modern Barbadian life.

Just a few days ago, an article in The Advocate, by Nicholas Cox, praised the boardwalk for "the impact of the Hastings boardwalk, which is attracting hundreds of people on a daily basis" (see Advocate report, June 20, 2009). One of comments about Barbados is an apparent wide gap between what should be and what is. It is very sad that within a year what should have been a pleasant eyecatching addition is now an eyesore.

About the time of last year's US presidential elections I received some enquiries from prospective American tourists about life in Barbados. When they got to the island one of their pastimes was walking the beaches to try to find shells and washed glass. They too had seen the video and sent me comments yesterday that they were appalled at the apparent neglect at the boardwalk.

The concerns I had voiced about the environmental aspects of the boardwalk were more directed at the turtle nesting areas and whether those alongside the boardwalk would help keep it tidy. I never foresaw the sand taking over or waste building up so quickly.

It seems obvious that everything on the island is part of the face of its tourism and obviously those attractions in the areas where tourists are numerous are even more the face that is often seem.

I bumped into the Minister of Tourism last week at a kids' birthday party, and we got talking about how the tourism sector shoots itself in the foot. Then, we talked about how some hotels make prospective guests feel unwanted with a 'take it or leave it' attitude. He commented that he was very aware how negative feedback spreads, and pointed to the comments now easily found on TripAdvisor, which are generated by visitors to the island. Tourists have no need to be kind, and often focus on negative experiences faster than positive ones--the latter being the expectation, and the former being part of the pack of disappointment that they would wish their friends to avoid. I know that the Ministry is monitoring the comments about Barbados, but which they cannot control. Once an image is damaged it stays that way for a long time.

I am going to see for myself how bad things are at the boardwalk as soon as I return next week. I would be pleasantly surprised to find that the situation was much improved by the time that I get there.

When times are tight money needs to be seen to have been spent right. The B$ 18 million is not going to look to have been well spent it this project gets run into the ground within a year of its completion.