Barbados Looking to Yachting Market for Tourism Growth

Above: Yachts in Bridgetown harbour (CJ Photo)

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Barbados has invested almost $2 million to upgrade infrastructure at the inner basin of Bridgetown’s Careenage as part of a bid to develop yachting as a niche market in the country’s tourism sector.

Over the last two years, Barbados Port, Inc has done “substantial work” in developing the inner basis to allow for more yacht activity, according to Minister of International Business and International Transport George Hutson, who was speaking during a tour of two yachts that took part in the Classic Trans-Atlantic Race to Barbados.

“We have put enough buoys to berth 40 yachts, and we are going to be putting additional buoys in the outer careenage,” he said.

The design for the outer careenage would be able to accommodate around 50 vessels.

Hutson also said that the swing bridge would be lifted four times a day to facilitate the passage of yachts into the Inner Basin of the Careenage.

Barbados is one of several Caribbean countries looking to make a splash in the yachting sector, including Grenada, St Kitts and Nevis and Antigua.