AFTER A TWO-YEAR HIATUS, the Barbados Tourism Awards will now be bigger and better than ever. This was revealed at the official launch, themed An Evening Of Excellence, of the revamped awards last Saturday night at Bagatelle Great House, St Thomas. "The [Barbados Tourism] awards actually did a fantastic job of rewarding those people who have made Barbados the boast and envy of the Caribbean," said Minister of Tourism and International Transport Noel Lynch. "However, we in the Ministry of Tourism believed the awards in that format had served their purpose and we needed a new and revamped method of rewarding excellence in tourism development in Barbados. "We wanted to create an event that every Barbadian would remember, to take it to the red-carpet, black-tie level in a way which people would never forget." He also commented on the beautiful setting and praised Bagatelle for its efforts. The other featured speakers were president of the Barbados Tourism Authority, Stuart Layne, and president of the Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association, Jon Martineau. "All good brands own the space in which they operate," said Layne. "When you want to describe corn flakes, you usually would say Kellogg's; facial tissue, you usually say Kleenex. In the future a quality holiday will be globally referred to as a Barbados. "This is another step towards excellence, so stay tuned to this channel, as this is a story to be continued," Layne added. Martineau applauded the awards, saying smart, successful organisations always took time to reward excellence, as all human beings yearned for recognition. He challenged the media to be "more responsible", saying anything positive to do with tourism should be front page news. A new tourism award 2006, a bearded fig tree growing from a coral base and enveloping a globe, was unveiled. It was designed by Donna Redman of Acute Vision and crafted by John Burgess of Works in Metal. Also included in the evening's celebrations were the presentation of tokens of appreciation to the sponsors, and performances by Pinelands Creative Workshop, The Mighty Gabby and John King with Jegna. Master of ceremonies was Carol Roberts. (CA)
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