Minister of Tourism, Richard Sealy (left), shares a light moment with cricket legend Charlie Griffith at the official opening of The Cricket Legends of Barbados Inc.’s (CLOBI) Airport store.
Government is committed to looking at tourism product development as a separate activity.
Minister of Tourism, Richard Sealy, gave this assurance today as he addressed the official opening of The Cricket Legends of Barbados Inc.’s (CLOBI) Airport store, and noted the significant role Cricket Legends and Icons were playing in the development of this product.
Stating that he had seen the Legends in action at the recently-held World Travel Market, within the Barbados booth in the Excel Centre, he noted that the booth was probably the busiest, and this was in large measure due to the presence of Cricket Legends such as The Rt. Excellent Sir Garfield Sobers, Desmond Haynes and Wes Hall.
“And, what is interesting is that the other destinations are copying us; now inviting their past cricketers to come up and be part of their exercise in trying to get into the markets that are Commonwealth-based, particularly the UK markets,” said Mr. Sealy.
It was also revealed that the home of the Legends, Herbert House, in Fontabelle, would feature prominently in this tourism thrust. He said: “…Herbert House, in Fontabelle, which is a tremendous property, and has its own unique architectural aesthetics, is to be transformed not only into an administrative headquarters but a cricket museum and through the Barbados Tourism and Investment Inc., we have already put substantial resources to that, and we will continue to do that so that Herbert House may become a legitimate tourist attraction.
The value in that speaks for itself, it is in walking distance from the port, you would have heard it mentioned that not only is cruise on the rise but European and British cruises are on the rise, with vessels being home-ported here.”
Acknowledging that such cruises would bear people “very familiar with the game of cricket”, he said they “would certainly want to take a stop through Herbert House and Kensington Oval and so these initiatives are going to be undertaken when we start to develop our unique products, our tourism products.”
Meanwhile, Chairman of the CLOBI, Rev. Dr. Wes Hall explained that while the Legends saw the shop as a watershed; they also viewed it as the realisation of a dream.
Cricket Legends of Barbados Inc. was incorporated in August 2005 and launched in April, 2006. It operates as a commercial entity and contributes to the financial security of the 41 Legends, based on equal subscriptions to the permanent capital of each member.
Among the key aims of Cricket Legends is to promote the development of cricket among youth by placing them in an environment with cricketing legends who have successfully represented the West Indies.