In recent years, Barbados’ position in the market place had deteriorated,
as reflected by stagnation in the level of stay-over visitor arrivals.
Reasons cited for this included the strength of the Barbadian dollar, the inability
to compete on cost with other warm weather destinations (e.g., Mexico
and Cuba), mild winters in North America; well-publicized instances of crimes
against visitors, and hurricane devastation that reduced visitor arrivals
throughout the region. These difficulties, however, were also faced by other
Caribbean destinations, which experienced surges in arrivals substantially
greater than those in Barbados.