Increased arrivals for this year’s Food And Rum, says BTMI boss

Barbados is boasting bigger numbers in tourist arrivals for this year’s Food And Rum Festival.

This was confirmed by chief executive officer (CEO) of the Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc. (BTMI), Andrea Franklin, at the sold-out Rise & Rum Breakfast Beach Party recently at Harbour Lights, Bay Street, St Michael.

“This year has been the largest number of visitors we have recorded based on ticket sales. We know there were so many more people who would have come who, unfortunately, have not been able to get tickets to the festival, but would have come to the island at this time because of all the promotion we would have done around the festival,” she said.

“So, certainly, it has taken us a while to get here and, like anything new, we have to build it, we have to build awareness, but the efforts are being rewarded.

“We are beginning to see people coming to Barbados at this time of the year for the Barbados Food And Rum Festival.”

Franklin said she was extremely pleased with the response to this year’s festival – which ran from October 5 and climaxed on Sunday with Liquid Gold at the Concorde Experience – noting that all the events had record attendance.

“We had a great response. At Oistins we had a tremendous turnout, also with the Rum Route. All the events were sold out.

The Chef Classics (Friday) and the Journey Of Food Restaurant Night (Saturday) were all sold out.”

The CEO noted that culinary tourism was one of the main pillars which the BTMI promotes: “We try to make what we have owned as Barbados – The Culinary Capital of the Caribbean.

“This festival brings it all together in terms of the story that we tell of our food and our rum – the birthplace of rum, the uniqueness of our food, like breadfruit, and using the local food, bringing the farmers, the fisherfolk all together into it and creating the linkages. The entire festival is about who we are as a people through food,” she added.

Quoting a chef who said “we are all linked through food”, she noted the festival was an important event for BTMI in terms of its marketing and the story it tells of Barbados and what makes this country and its people authentic and unique.

Franklin, who like hundreds of patrons was decked out in yellow, said she was happy for the sunshine recently at the breakfast party, unlike last year when there was pouring rain.

She said the response from patrons was that they liked the venue and the change in set-up.

“We are pleased so far and I am looking forward to the final event, Liquid Gold, at the Concorde, which is also the reopening really of the Concorde facility.

“So we are looking forward to bringing out all the stops for that one,” she added.

Hundreds of patrons attended the recent event, which started at 4 a.m., and were able to partake in a wide selection of foods whipped up by local chefs.

Entertainment was provided by artistes such as Peter Ram and Trinidadian singer and producer GBM Nutron,who also performed with Grateful Co.

Big bands Square One and krosfyah took patrons on a musical journey which kept them dancing the morning away.

 Communications and public relations manager at the BTMI, Aprille Thomas, said they were happy with the response to the event.

“We were sold out at least four weeks before and that was unprecedented for us. So we’re extremely proud of the turnout we got [Saturday] and the reception we got at the festival,” she said, noting in particular the overwhelming response from American and Trinidadian visitors.”  (CM/TG)

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