Barbados Marketing Case

1.0 INTRODUCTION

Barbados is one of most well developed and politically stable islands in the Caribbean.

The island attracts more than a million visitors a year (Visit Barbados, 2008). Thus,

tourism sector has become the major industry and a fundamental part of the economy

(Government of Barbados, 2007). However, Barbados is experiencing difficulties in its

marketing strategies particularly caused by the loss of market share. The aim of this

report is to provide an analysis of the case study; the marketing of "Little England".

Firstly, the report will examine the current situation and the position of the island in the

marketplace. Secondly, the target market and current marketing strategies will be

reviewed. Subsequently, the report will assess and identify the SWOT analysis. Finally,

strategic recommendations will be suggested to support the future growth of the island.

2.0 CURRENT SITUATION

The key problem that Barbados is currently facing is mainly the flagging of its position in

the market due to the lack of recognition and strong competition (Jebodhsingh, 2007). As

mentioned by Barbados Travel (2005), tourists choose to visit other destinations such as

the Bahamas and Lesser Antilles rather than Barbados as these islands provide better

values to visitors and shorter travelling time. Thus, Barbados amended to recapture its

loss market by offering a well-rounded product to attract visitors from different groups.

The Barbados Tourism Authority (BTA) also initiated a new advertising campaign in the

United States and attempted to enter the South American market but this plan was

unsuccessful due to the deficiency of air services (Barbados Freepress, 2006).

3.0 EVALUATION OF BARBADOS ISLAND

3.1 TARGET MARKET

The primary market for Barbados in the past was the upper-income market as the

island had positioned itself as an elite destination. According to the decreasing

number of travellers in recent years (Appendix 1), Barbados has shifted to target

visitors in three categories; budget, mid-range,

...