SPECIAL EDITION FRONTLINE
agent.’ You just say something like, ‘Have you been here before?’ And then they say, ‘Have you?’ And you can reply, ‘Well, actually, I’ve got my own Barbados travel business’. And at that point you’ve kind of grabbed them.
Q. What’s the typical duration of the trips you sell? It’s nearly always seven or 10 nights, something like that. People love Barbados. You speak to someone at the bar and they’ll say they’ve been to Barbados 20 or 30 times. People go back for more than one or two visits a year, so they’re not going to stay too long.
Q. What time of year do people book for? The prices double on the flights and everything else when you get to a school holiday, so it’s always a hard time to please people. If they are penny-pinching, a lot of them might like to go in the low season – May is great and up to November is great – but avoiding school holidays at all times.
Polly Gould
The Caribbean specialist, who runs Caribbean Inspired and Barbados
Inspired, tells Andrew McQuarrie about the strength of her expertise and shares her top selling tips
Q. What destinations do you sell? Around 85% of my business is Barbados and the rest is elsewhere in the Caribbean, especially Saint Lucia. I’ve been to Barbados 45 times and know the island inside out and back to front. I know every hotel and every hotel manager out there. I sell everything Barbados, and I’ve got my own driver on the island who does tours for my customers. I have also just set up a Barbados-inspired gift shop for souvenirs.
Q. Who are your clients? When I’m in England, I’m based on the Isle of Wight – that’s where I’m from – but I get my customers online. You never know where the enquiries are going to come from. And when I’m a bit quiet, I can pick up some leads from the Blue Bay Travel homeworking [group]. My repeat business is very high and my best way of getting repeats is face to face in Barbados. I’ve met many people when chatting at the bar or on the beach or out and about, and they are my best repeat customers. It’s not about going in heavy-handed and saying, ‘I’m a travel
28 28 AUGUST 2025
Q. Why is Barbados so well loved by clients? For me, it’s the size of the island. It’s the same as the Isle of Wight, so the size feels good for me. It’s also an easy island to get around. Plus, everyone will say that it’s the locals who make the island [so special], and the laughter you have with them.
Q. What advice would you give to agents who would like to develop their Barbados sales? If people haven’t been to the island before, maybe recommend an all-inclusive hotel to start with because it can be an expensive place for eating out and your money can run away with you. But once someone has done an all-inclusive stay and popped out of the hotel and seen the island, you’ll probably find that they’ll want to stay in B&B accommodation the next time. It’s better to do that on the south coast because you have more places to eat and more bars, whereas the west coast has more fine dining – plus it’s a bit more expensive up there. But there are also always the rum shacks and places where you can get a fish cutter, which is very cheap. It’s just about knowing the island and your way around it, otherwise things can be expensive.
Q. Has there been a standout booking for you over the years? One time I saw a group of people in the evening all dressed up to the nines, and I thought, ‘Oh, they’re off somewhere nice’. I thought they must be going up to The Cliff or Champers, which are probably the two most renowned fine-dining places. Then I saw about 10 of them on the beach the next day. As I was walking past, I asked, ‘Oh, are you the group that went out last night?’ They said, ‘Yeah, we’re just recovering!’ I got chatting to this guy from Wales and he asked if I had a business card on me. I gave him one and he said he would call me for his next trip, which he did – I think that booking came to £70,000.
IS IT TRUE YOU LIVE IN BARBADOS NOW?
They have this scheme called the Welcome Stamp, where you pay a fee and you can stay there for a year working
remotely. I got that in 2023. It was always on the cards that I would move there. Everybody always says I’m so much more myself when I’m in Barbados and my mum said she could see me living out there one day. I just knew that I was always happier there – it really does feel like home.
They introduced the scheme during Covid. I signed up for a couple of years, and you can renew it as often as you want. The Barbados tourist board knows me extremely well, out there and here.
I’ve been rewarded by the tourist board for my visits and loyalty to the island, so I’m an award winner for Barbados and Saint Lucia. It’s really lovely to be appreciated for my consistency in selling the destinations. The last Barbados award
was presented at the prime minister’s residence in 2023
and the Saint Lucia award was presented in June. I want to grow my business with more referrals and more repeat guests, so it keeps building.
Polly shows
off a Saint Lucia tourism award
travelweekly.co.uk
c
a
r
i
b
b
e
a
n
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72
