Dear to whom it may concern,

Firstly I like to congratulate all on the amazing victory in the June 2018 election.

I have developed many friends on the island over the years and there have been many ideas discussed on how simple initiatives from the respective government could improve the overall experience that tourists has and that the locals could benefit from as well. Since the change of government it feels like a breath of fresh air and the initiative of creating the public suggestion box is a fantastic idea. I hope this is not only for the locals but for non-residents that love Barbados just as much as their home country. I have taken the liberty to list a few matters which in my opinion could help improve Barbados.

1. I love the fact that all single use plastics will not be allowed to be retailed or used by restaurants per April 1st 2019. However, one of the questions that I heard during my stay recently was; what does restaurants and retailers with their current stock of single use plastic? Is the government introducing collection of the plastic and will the companies be compensated for the loss they are making by disposing of and purchasing biodegradable substitutes. The initiative is fantastic and very inspiring, only risk is that these shops and companies affected will dump the single use plastics in the nature or the sea. This could be avoided if the government offers a compensation?
2. I love your white sandy beaches (who doesn’t, lies) and some of my most special sunsets have been enjoyed on some your beaches. One of the things that really saddens me is the increased amount of litter that can be found on most of the beaches. It seems to me that it is caused by both tourists and locals. Is there any government lead initiative being introduced to increase knowledge about what impact litter has on your beautiful island such as (i) be responsible work shops educating the public, (ii)beach clean ups (i know private groups are doing this), (iii) signage at the beach making it clear that littering is strictly forbidden and fines will be issued, (iv) smoking on the beach should not be allowed but there should be designated smoking areas on the beach will ensure that all smoking including the cigaret buds will be kept in a certain area and (v) more bins. The police should be more visible patrolling the beaches and hand out fines if people litter and smoke outside the designated smoking areas. This could assist with funding the above initiatives. I have to say that I am well aware of the current issue with gang related crime the government are facing. I think 4 people were killed during my two week stay recently.
3. I have seen how the sea life around Barbados has developed over the pasted 13yrs and it has not been a positive development. Speaking to experienced fishermen and business owners it quickly became clear that the current regulation of fishing quotas are limited. I can sympathise with the fishermen that are struggling more and more to catch fish, lobsters or other sea life. In other regions and developed countries that benefit from a coastline have introduced fishing quotas in order to ensure that the fish population will remain and there continue to be fish to catch. This will also support the fishing industry and ensure its survival in the ling term. Make it strictly forbidden to feed the turtles and fine the perpetrators significant amount so the the tourist cruises will be discourages to continue this madness.  
4. Sargassum is another problem that has an impact on the tourist industry. I like to bring your attention to a Finnish company Amor that produces filters to clean up oil after oil spills in the ocean. It is my understanding that the issue is created by American, Central and South American farmers using fertilisers to spray their crops and some of this fertiliser is ending up in Mexican Golf which has the perfect temperature for this “soup of growth molecules” to grow into sargassum. Therefore instead of the Caribbean island having to fight this monstrous task of cleaning up the 1000kgs flooding your shores a couple of times a year. The issue needs to be addressed at the source and one of the ways is to utilise technology developed by Amor. As the sargassum is a region wide issue this should be addressed at Caricom level and maybe even the government where the fertiliser is originating from should be involved such as the USA and Brazil but not limited to. 

I am fully aware that the above does not address the issue around the sanitary matters the deficit on the public transportation (why not introduce government run ZRs), the challenges not only Barbados but the region is facing with Liat and the list is long. My hope is that my suggestions, can spark a debate and maybe lead to better solutions on how to tackle the above matters.

I look very much forward to follow how the rebuilding of Barbados progresses and wish the whole of the Mottley administration the best of luck.

Wishing you all a Happy Easter.

Yours sincerely,

Morten Nielsen

The voluntary ambassador for Barbados