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BARBADOS: Breaking the longstanding dominance of Foster & Ince in the Barbadian cruise services market requires a multifaceted approach that begins with the modernization of the Fair Trading Commission’s (FTC) oversight. Currently, the lack of aggressive anti-trust enforcement allows a single entity to control the lion’s share of ground handling, shore excursions, and agency services. By introducing sector-specific competition rules that cap the percentage of port services a single firm can manage, the government can create a legal vacuum that must be filled by new entrants. This regulatory “reset” would force a diversification of service providers, ensuring that international cruise lines have a choice of local partners rather than a single point of entry.
The second pillar of reform involves the democratization of port infrastructure and “first-touch” access. Traditionally, incumbent firms have maintained their position through exclusive long-term leases and preferential access to the Bridgetown Port terminal. To break this, the Barbados Port Inc. should move toward a “Common-User Terminal” model where berths and tour-bus staging areas are allocated through transparent, short-term bidding processes rather than historical legacy. By lowering the barriers to entry for independent transport operators and boutique tour agencies, the state can ensure that the economic benefits of a ship’s arrival are distributed across a broader spectrum of the Barbadian workforce.
Technological disruption offers a third path by enabling direct-to-consumer relationships that bypass traditional gatekeepers. If the Ministry of Tourism were to sponsor a centralized, digital marketplace app for shore excursions, independent local operators could market their services directly to passengers before they even disembark. This would diminish the power of the “pre-booked” excursion model, which usually funnels revenue through the dominant agency and the cruise line itself. Giving the passenger the power to choose verified, independent local guides through a government-sanctioned app would effectively erode the monopoly’s control over the visitor’s itinerary.
Financial empowerment for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) is also critical to ensuring these new competitors can survive. The dominance of a single large firm is often sustained by its ability to offer “one-stop-shop” logistics that smaller firms cannot match. The government could facilitate the formation of a National Cruise Services Cooperative—a consortium of small taxi operators, catamaran owners, and heritage sites. By providing this cooperative with low-interest capital from the Barbados Trust Fund or the Caribbean Development Bank, these smaller players could achieve the scale necessary to bid on major contracts that were previously only accessible to Foster & Ince.
Finally, the government must leverage the renegotiation of Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) with major cruise lines like Carnival and Royal Caribbean to mandate local sourcing. In these negotiations, the state can require that a specific percentage of ground services be contracted to “new generation” or “community-based” businesses as a condition of berthing rights. By shifting the conversation from “management” to “partnership,” Barbados can transition from a monopolistic service model to a competitive ecosystem that prioritizes local innovation and ensures that the “Blue Economy” yields dividends for all citizens, not just a few established players.
