For me Barbados equals sun and sand but I soon heard that there is much more to this wee island than I first thought and I can’t wait to share it with you. Here’s why you need to Visit Barbados.

WHY YOU SHOULD VISIT BARBADOS

In 2020 I attended the Taste of Barbados Roadshow where the Hon. Kerrie Symmonds, Tourism Minister for Barbados, informed us about the We Gatherin’ 2020 and provided some insight on how Barbados are at the forefront of tourism.

Symmonds made the announcements about airport and hotel expansion and acknowledged the 20th anniversary of British Airways flying to Barbados from Gatwick daily. He also informed us that cruise markets were important to the local economy and that they would be selecting a location imminently for smaller ships (Barbados won the WAVE Award 2019, the most prestigious accolade in the UK cruising industry) and they also plan to add another 2000 rooms across the island with hotels chains such as Wyndham, Hyatt and Sandals.

For those who loved the stay in Barbados as much that thought of relocating there, you can consider applying for remote jobs with paid emails at such job-searcing websites as Jooble. It will help you to start working from any part of the world without the trouble of finding a new job. 

THEIR COMMITMENT TO GOING GREEN

Symmonds was also keen to add that although the island was in much need of an upgrade and expansion, they did not want Barbados to become a ‘concrete jungle’ and would be keeping a close eye on planning permissions so as not to create excessive development. Disabled access was also a high priority.

What does warm my heart is Barbados’s commitment to going green and taking care of their environment. They have banned single use plastics and Styrafoam and are leading the way in marine environmental protection. Banning single-use plastics goes some way to ensuring the protection of beaches and clear waters around Barbados. The island attracted over 600,000 visitors in 2018 and is committed to the fight against pollution.

THE ABUNDANCE OF WILDLIFE

Barbados has an abundance of wildlife and preserving it is another one of their top priorities such as the Barbados Sea Turtle Project where they hope to restore the turtle population; the Hawksbill turtle population in the Caribbean has up to 500 nesting females per year. Barbados is dedicated to preserving their coastline, their marine life, animals and flora.

In 2020, it was declared as the year of We Gatherin’, essentially Barbados’ Homecoming. Scotland had their Homecoming in 2009 where we encouraged the Scottish diaspora from around the world to return home.

Although no longer 2020 and the Year of Homecoming, Barbados is still inviting Barbadians and friends to ‘come home’ and celebrate all things Barbados.

Visit Barbados not just for sun, sea and sand but for their strong historical ties with Scotland

THE LINKS BETWEEN SCOTLAND AND BARBADOS

The 30th November is an important day to us Scots and Bajans alike. 30th November we celebrate St Andrews Day here in Scotland with events across Scotland and in Barbados, it’s their Independence Day (Barbados became independent in 1966) and they celebrate in style with Independence celebrations running throughout the month of November and include sports competitions, fairs, community events and religious services. On the day a grand military parade is held, usually at the Garrison Savannah and the Bajan flag is prominently featured throughout the island as is yellow and blue bunting. The parade usually culminates with the Independence Ceremonial March to the city of Bridgetown. Plus you get to eat Conkies - made from corn flour, pumpkin, coconut and sweet potato wrapped in banana leaves.

Besides sharing a special date, Scotland and Barbados have much in common.

1. In 1625 Barbados was colonised under King James 1 rule. From 1644-1700 it was all about sugar and slavery and this is when many Scots were shipped from Leith and Port Glasgow to Barbados as white slaves. Slave owners soon realised that the sickly Scots weren’t very goods slaves compared to the African slaves and were soon nicknamed the ‘redlegs’ due to the effect of the tropical sun on the skin beneath their kilts.

2. In 1834 slavery was abolished and these Scots gained their freedom. They settled in the region that is now known as Scotland and most lived in the parish of St Johns.

3. There are many Scottish influences found in Barbados and the origins of these “Macbajans” can be traced back to James Hay, Earl of Carlisle and the first ‘proprietor’ of Barbados.

4. There are similarities between the Scotland District coast line and that of the craggy hills of the Scottish Highlands.

5. The Barbados Coat of Arm features a Saltire formed of two sugar cane stalks, crossed canes held in the hand of a black slave.

6. The “Order of Saint Andrew” is Barbados’s highest national award.

7. They have dishes like Jug Jug (similar to Haggis) and black pudding.

8. The strong historical links are celebrated every year in the Celtic Festival which takes place in Barbados on the last weekend in May, organised by Carol Anderson from Edinburgh

9. Out of 181 suburbs and neighbourhoods in and around Greater Bridgetown, 46 or 25% can be found in Scotland too or are based on Scottish family names. Examples include : Arthurs Seat, Bannatyne, Callendar, Montrose and Strathclyde.

THINGS TO SEE AND DO WHEN IN BARBADOS

Eat drink and party in St Lawrence gap - read my blog post here

Visit the Jacobean mansion, St Nicholas Abbey - read my blog post here

Swim with turtles and a day trip out to sea on a Catamaran - read my blog post here

Visit and drink at Foursquare Rum distillery - see my Instagram post here

Visit and eat at the many food markets - see my Instagram post here

Attended Oisins Friday night Fishfry in Bridgetown - read my blog post here

WHERE TO STAY

We stayed at The Crane and Dover Beach Hotel.

The Crane review

Dover Beach review HERE

Hopefully this blog post will entice you to book a holiday in Barbados.

If you are tempted …. go on just have a wee look at flights and hotels….

HOW TO GET THERE

FLIGHTS

It takes approximately 8.5 hours to fly direct from London Gatwick to Grantley Adams International Airport, Barbados and there are two main airlines that fly :

Virgin Atlantic fly daily from London Gatwick to Barbados. Click on this link to find out more www.virginatlantic.com/gb/en/destinations/caribbean/barbados.html

British Airways have 12 flights per week. Click on this link to find out more

www.britishairways.com/en-gb/destinations/barbados/flights-to-barbados

ACCOMMODATION

• All Seasons Resort www.allseasonsresort.bb

• Treasure Beach www.elegantresorts.co.uk/treasure-beach-by-elegant-hotels

• Coconut Court www.coconut-court.com

• Radisson Aquatica Resort www.radissonhotelsamericas.com/en-us/hotels/radisson-resort-barbados-aquatica

• The Sands www.thesandsbarbados.com

• The House www.elegantresorts.co.uk/the-house-by-elegant-hotels

• Mangobay www.mangobaybarbados.com

If you would like to find out more about Barbados, visit www.visitbarbados.org