A veteran hotelier in Barbados believes that vaccination should become a requirement for employment “at some point” in the tourism industry.
Owner of the Crane Resort Paul Doyle, who said he is finding ways to encourage his staff to take the COVID-19 vaccine, pointed to the need for the industry to again fire on all engines.
He argued that having more industry workers vaccinated could lead to greater protection from the deadly virus, increased visitor arrivals and ultimately overall economic improvement.
However, insisting that the discussions surrounding vaccination were being approached in the “wrong way”, attorney-at-law Michelle Russell dismissed the suggestion that vaccination should be considered as a prerequisite for employment.
She said such a move was coercion since it would exclude some from employment.
The views were expressed during the Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association public relations committee webinar series under the theme Vaccination in Tourism: Is it a Choice?
Doyle, who noted that only 350 of his close to 500 staff members were vaccinated, despite the inducements that were being offered, said vaccination should be required for employment in the tourism industry.
