It seems we miss a huge potential of Forex spend from the thousands of people and ship crews walking from the port into town, every day.

I propose the Government considers switching the infrastructure between port exit gates and the entrance to the little park at Lower Broad Street.

It would be a very easy fix! 

Today, out of the port a sad looking sight is that of visitors struggling down the boring sea wall, ignoring taxis and indifferent to the 'across the wide road' view of today's Pelican Village that offers zero appeal, enthusiasm, and interest to them.

We could easily switch Pelican Village and the road such that a rebuilt and redesigned Village would lie all alongside the seawall walkway and the road be located further inland.

An imaginative development could presell the new appealing units to retailers thus making it self financing. Retail, duty free, great music, live entertainment, buskers, cafes, fun, safe, clean, ultra modern ! 

If we look at what UK airports are doing..... eg.  London Gatwick.... we see all passengers have to walk through the retail shops to pass from place to place.We could do the same. Force the visitors to walk through the retail. 

This new 'Bridgetown Village' could be a shining showcase for Barbados.

Today we look tawdry, dated, scruffy, sleepy, unplanned, disorganised. 

Tomorrow we could look AMAZING. 

The number 1 destination of the Caribbean by sea.

Submitted by Dr. Harold Moreley

Take a look at pelican village it is a ghost town.  Visitors from the cruise ships walk on the opposite side of the street. 

My suggestion: pelican villages should be set up at key tourist destinations ie: Brandon's beach, Accra Beach, Pebble's beach to & Oistins to name a few. 

Oistins needs to be revamped immediately and get rid of the shanty structures where vendors peddle their wares. Wi-fi -is needed there.  Another major problem at Oistins is that when the vendors have finish cleansing their areas of business the water settled where patrons have to walk.  May be a raised wooden structure can be installed to prevent this. Raise the rent from $52-60.00 to combat cost. Also bathrooms need to be maintained on Friday night's.

by Patricia Rawlins 

I think the reason the tourists don't go to the Pelican Village is that most are not aware of it. I agree that there is a very long walk from the cruise ships to the exit point by Princess Alice Highway. At that point, there really isn't anything letting the tourists know that there are activities going on in the Pelican Village. Since they don't know this, they will naturally keep walking on the path that leads them thru the park. On the right they will see the ocean & the hotels in the distance, to their left is the the other side of the park, plus the very busy 4 lane highway. At that point the beauty & tranquility of the ocean will grab more eyeballs than the traffic on the highway. 

Perhaps the easiest fix would be some signage that indicates where Pelican Village is. Another solution could be a shuttle back & forth. Also, a tunnel under the highway that is attractive & engages the tourists as a MUST walk path could be a lot of help also.

Additional revenue can be acquired using Pelican Craft Center. Tourist over the years have been requesting more locally made items. This art district of Barbados (Pelican Craft Center)  has been redesigned to offer some of the best of what our locals can produce.

Our locals have been producing exceptional products but it's not being seen by visitors.

Sending these points to represent the younger entrepreneurs and micro businesses to offer solutions to Pelican Center. We have failed to exploit the full potential of this center but we all know it's been successful in the 70s & 80s.

Jamal j Ifill