Introduction

The Garrison Historic Area of Barbados has long been recognised for its tourism potential. However, it was not until the end of the 20^th century that the pace of tourism development in the Garrison accelerated dramatically, coinciding fortuitously with ascendance of heritage tourism as one of the fastest growing tourism products in the world.   The commencement of the George Washington House tourism project; the completion of the National Cannon Collection attraction; the opening of the Mallalieu Motor Collection attraction; the completion of the Barbados Pavilion; the restoration of the Main Guard and its opening for tours; and the launching of Garrison Historic Tour by Tall Ships Cruises, Ltd., among other NGO and private activities, all gave more evidence than ever of the great potential for heritage tourism development at the Garrison.   

This new tourism development activity, however, also exposed weaknesses in the area’s tourism infrastructure.  Insufficient product definition, lack of attraction focus and excitement, absence of central management and planning, among other challenges, threatened to stifle the operational and marketing success of the product over time.   Social-cultural challenges also emerged.   The view held by many members of the majority Barbadian community that the Garrison glorifies the colonial past, threatened to undermine community support for the project, support needed to help the Garrison reach its full tourism potential.

Boundaries of the Project Area

The Garrison Historic Area encompasses an extensive area around the main savannah and through the small gaps and roads surrounding the area. Some of the buildings are private homes; others have been converted to offices and places of business, while others lie abandoned.  The outer limits of the area are Pavillion Court (on the north side of Hastings main road); the Barbados Yacht Club (on the north-western side of the area); and the stables (on the north side of the road around the savannah).

Project Rationale

The Government of Barbados, in a 1998 document  [Barbados Tourism Development Programme: Heritage, Nature and Community Tourism (1998)] proposed several projects to restore many buildings and features within the Garrison Historic Area for the purposes of:

o       recreational use by the public;

o       construction of a Military Museum and Interpretive Centre; and

o       strengthening existing facilities in the area.

Though some of this work has been undertaken, it is not expected that all of it will be funded by the government and there is still much to be done.  Additionally, Barbados has expressed an interest in having Bridgetown and the Garrison Historic Area be nominated as a World Heritage Site. In order to achieve this status, extensive work in public awareness, community buy-in, documentation and restoration needs to be undertaken.  This process has been slow.

It is therefore felt that the efforts of the BGHC in implementing this project would complement, and even expedite, this work through a collaborative approach.

The project would therefore satisfy national initiatives in creating diversity in its tourism product whilst allowing Barbadians to enjoy learning about their military history, as well as in preparing the area for a successful nomination for World Heritage site status.