A Government minister has announced that work has started to train students in the area of heritage preservation, as the government seeks to ensure greater appreciation for the island’s cultural heritage.
Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister with Responsibility for Culture Senator Shantal Munro-Knight said the Division of Culture has been in discussions with officials of the Hilton Barbados Resort as it relates to the ongoing efforts to restore and preserve the Charles Fort on the hotel property.
This comes as officials of the Needham’s Point accommodation give an indication that plans were progressing for further enhancement and development.
Munro-Knight said the aim of the partnership was to use the location as one of the main areas for students to learn more about preservation of cultural heritage.
“The Division of Culture will be embarking on a project where we will be working with the Samuel Jackman Prescod Polytechnic and a number of other institutions including the Barbados Museum and the World Heritage Committee in order to bring young people along to train them, to teach them about preservation and conservation right here on the site
“Again, [it is] to create that very linkage and legacy and understanding about our history and again fostering the connection between tourism and culture. We are hoping that we will be able to start that initiative very soon, where we will have approximately 50 and 75 young people placed here on this site working, learning and being mentored as well. We believe this also will create a generation that understands the importance and value of the preservation of our cultural heritage,” said Munro-Knight.
She was addressing specially invited guests at an unveiling and re-launching ceremony at the Hilton Barbados Resort on Thursday night.
Hotel officials unveiled a number of local art pieces, as they announced a partnership with local artists that will see use of a wide range of local art pieces at the Needham’s Point, St Michael accommodation, as part of an expanded art project aimed at supporting and promoting local artists.
In addition, officials relaunched the Grille Restaurant to serve a range of Bajan-inspired dishes, while they introduced the Careenage Rum Stop, a Bajan rum shop-inspired bar that will only serve local rums.
Junior Waldron, Chairman of Needham’s Point Holdings Ltd., owners and operators of the Hilton Barbados Resort, said the board fully supported the move to incorporate greater use of local cultural heritage.
He indicated that the picturesque Charles Fort was still a work in progress, adding that it was one of the island’s heritage assets.
He took the opportunity to indicate that officials were keen on further enhancing and developing the 350-room, multi-story hotel property.
“The last few years have been challenging ones for the hospitality industry, but I am pleased to say that we at Hilton Barbados have weathered the storm and we continue to be one of the leading hotels on island, especially for North American visitors. We are not resting on our laurels though. We have taken note of the Prime Minister’s exaltation to make better use of our seaside carpark and I wish to assure her and you, that our management team is hard at work analysing the best use of the space to give us the maximum return,” reported Waldron.
“There are many moving parts in any possible extension of the hotel, but we recognise that with the rising threat of accommodation on the southern side of the island, our product must remain unique and attractive to both repeat and first time visitors. I know there are plans to refresh many of the public areas of the hotel, including the conference facilities,” he added.
Recently, Prime Minister Mia Mottley announced that discussions were ongoing on the possibility of relocating the Barbados Defence Force “for all kinds of reasons” including hotel expansion in the Needham’s Point area.
“We will keep the historical aspects of the Drill Hall and St Ann’s Fort,” Mottley told reporters during a recent visit to the Wyndham Grand Barbados Sam Lord’s Castle Resort.
(MM)
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