The entire IV team wishes to CONGRATULATE Barbados on its incredible achievement – having the area of Bridgetown and its Historic Garrison listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This prestigious designation is only received after a rigorous screening process and once the proposed site is considered to have outstanding universal value.

So, what does this really mean? Are there really benefits to heritage tourism? Research has shown that countries that receive a UNESCO World Heritage designation record a 30% increase in visitors over a period of time. This means that people want to know about the culture and the history of a place when they visit so why not provide access to this information? In the Caribbean there is so much history, vibrant culture and much more..so why not develop heritage tourism and invites the world to come knocking at our doorstep?