Caribbean Tourism Organisation

Placement organization

Name of organization: Caribbean Tourism Organisation
Town/city: Warrens
Country: Barbados
Website: https://www.onecaribbean.org/

Student

Name of student: Jessica Damen

Specialist area: ITMC
Placement period: 2017-2018

Information about placement organization

Type of organization: Tourism Development Agency
Organization’s activities: Collaborating with Caribbean countries, seeking to maximize the contribution of tourism to the economic development and promoting the consciousness of the need to preserve both the natural and man-made beauty of the Caribbean environment
Target group of the organization: All tourists in the world who are ever interested in visisting any Caribbean country
Company culture: Formal, relaxed Caribbean culture, no rush, friendly, working from day to day.
Number of employees: 30
Dress code: formal
Did the organization meet the agreements you made beforehand? Yes

Information about your placement

In which department(s) are you working?

Research

Brief description of your daily activities: Research about certain area’s in the Caribbean region such as:
– How can tourism be developed without damaging the original Caribbean beauty?
– Is tourism good for the economic situation of the countries, but also for the locals?
– How can we increase foreign exchange earnings, employment, strengthen linkages between tourism and other economic sector like manufacturing and agriculture, and to reduce leakages from Caribbean economies

In short the goal is to position the Caribbean as the most desirable, year round, warm weather destination by and become Leading Sustainable Tourism – One Sea, One Voice, One Caribbean.
Brief description of your company assignment: Creating an Excel-document about all sharing platforms in the Caribbean, like Airbnb or Homeaway.
Per country I looked into how many houses are for rent per platform, and afterwards concluding and comparing.
Comment briefly on your supervision by the organization: My supervisor was the Director of the research department, he always had work for me, he involved me in the whole research department so I could work together with all of the members from this department and even other departments, we met about every 2 weeks, not only for work meetings but also briefly about how I was doing while living in Barbados.

Requirements for students on placement

What kind of personal skills are required for this placement? independent, taking initiative, social
Additional company requirements for this placement? EXCEL!, and all other Microsoft Office programs including good writing skills.
English: Advanced
Spanish:
French:
German:
Italian:
Other languages: Take into account that the Barbados locals speak with an accent, it is hard during the first weeks to get used to it. Business people speak more correct American than others.

The trip

Mode of transport to reach your destination: Airplane

Accommodation

How did you arrange your accommodation? Company
How did you go to work every day? By foot (15 minutes down hill)

Visa / work permit / vaccinations

Do you need a visa? No, just a return ticket
Do you need a work permit? No
How did you arrange the necessary documents: No need for documents, only a passport and a return ticket, and some proof from CTO that you come to work as an intern in the company
How much time did it take to arrange the necessary documents? 1 week
Did you need certain vaccinations? No
How long in advance? –

Language course

Did you take a language course before you started your placement? No
Would you recommend to have a language course prior to this placement? No

The costs in euros

Travelling expenses (e.g. return ticket): € 600
Accommodation (monthly): € 400
Local transport (monthly): € 20 (A oneway bus ticket is only €0,80 (!!). Use it to see the beautiful island!
General costs of living (monthly): € 200
Costs of visa: € 0
Costs of work permit: € 0
What did the company pay for/to you? No financial compensation

Culture

How did you prepare for the country’s culture?
Didn’t really prepare, just take into account that EVERYTHING in The Netherlands is stressed, punctual and planned and the Caribbean is the complete opposite. Don’t be in shock if you have to wait an hour for a bus or you have to wait a long time in the queue in the supermarket, but this is also the best way to get to know the culture.

In the business world everything is more organised, but people will never rush and plan things from day to day, not a few weeks ahead as we do in the Netherlands.
Did the culture of the country influence your performance during the placement in any way? No

Future students on placement

Future students are free to contact me for further information: Yes
My e-mail address: jessicadamen@home.nl

Other information

Recommendations on what to do and what not to do: WHAT TO DO:
– just do what you have to do at work, the work can be individual but make sure to be social with colleagues even if you don’t have to work together. The people from Barbados are the nicest and warmest people I ever met, and I saw a lot of countries. The same for neighbours, people on the street, supermarket employees, be social and ask them how they are doing, they will help you during your internship all the way!

– In the weekends you are off! Go out and explore the island! It looks small, but there are so many things to see! If you want any certain tips about places, just contact me. The bus only costs 0,80 cents, the distance doesn’t matter. You can literally go to the other side of the island. The bus connections are good and it is the best way to involve yourself in the local culture.
Leisure possibilities in the city/surroundings of where the placement took place: Contact me if you wanna know things about certain places or attractions or where to do your groceries. I cannot mention just a few things as Barbados has something amazing to see at every corner of the island.

Media

Youtube link Youtube placement video link