Infrastructure and Social Environment

Barbados is one of the most highly developed small countries in the world. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has ranked Barbados as No. 1 on its Human Development Index in the Caribbean and Latin America. In ts development, Barbados is also outperforming all of Africa and all of Asia, with the exception of Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan and South Korea.

The country's high level of development is reflected in its infrastructure and social environment.

Health Services

The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, situated on the outskirts of Bridgetown, accommodates 600 patients in private and general wards. There is also the Bayview Hospital, which is privately owned and accommodates 24 patients. There are also several well-equipped private clinics, health centres and nursing homes. The psychiatric hospital enjoys a good reputation.

Barbados enjoys a high standard of medicine and health services overall. Dental and Optical services are readily available, and the Medical Register lists specialists trained in the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States.

Education

Barbados has an exceptionally good educational system that comprises free primary, secondary and tertiary levels of education. The literacy rate on the island is approximately 97%.

One of the campuses of the University of the West Indies is situated in Barbados. The University's Department of Management Studies together with the affiliated Centre for Management Development provide many of the graduates for the country's domestic corporate sector, professional services firms, and international business sector.

Barbados also has a community college, a teachers' training college, a theological college, a hospitality institute and a polytechnic.

Housing

Barbados has well developed residential areas, and high quality housing for executives is available for sale or rent in many locations across the island.

Water

Barbados enjoys crystal clear drinking water throughout the island. Its primary source is underground springs, filtered through coral, and these are supplemented by the output from a newly completed desalination plant.

Electricity

The Barbados Light & Power Company provids a highly reliable electricity service throughout the island. Domestic current will operate appliances designed for 110 volts AC, 50-cycle supply. A 220-volt supply is also available to industrial and domestic users.

Roads

Babados is criss-crossed by an extensive network of paved roads, including a trans-island highway that links all of the main transportation arteries. Driving is on the left-hand side of the road.

Office Space

Good quality, air-conditioned office space is available in Bridgetown or in several purpose-built office complexes on the outskirts of the city. Lease arrangements can be negotiated at reasonable rates.

Hotel Accommodation

In keeping with its reputation as a high-end tourism destination, Barbados has well-run hotels of international standards. These include a newly reconstructed Hilton, The Fairmont Hotels' Royal Pavilion, and Sandy Lane Resort, recognised as one of the finest facilities of its kind in the world. Other smaller but excellent quality hotels include Coral Reef, Colony Club, Glitter Bay Resort, Cobblers Cove and The Crane Private Residence Resort. In all, accommodation in Barbados, including luxury hotels, villas, guesthouses and rental apartments totals just over 8,000 rooms.

Many of the larger hotels offer conference facilities, as does the Sherbourne Conference Centre, a purpose-built facility on the outskirts of Bridgetown.

Restaurants and Nightclubs

Barbados has dozens of restaurants, many of which are world-class in standard. In addition to these restaurants, there are several private firms that cater for receptions. The island has an active nightlife, particularly on weekends, and there are several nightclubs offering live bands as well as the latest in local and international music.

Sports and Recreational Activities

Barbadians are a sports-loving people, and while cricket remains the national "passion", sports of every kind are playd on the island, including basketball, volleyball, field hockey, soccer, tennis, squash and golf. Horse racing and Polo are also well established on the island and among the leading spectator sports. A national stadium and a gymnasium are used throughout the year to host field atheletics, cycling and other well attended sporting events.

Barbados has gained increasing profile in recent years as a golfing destination. There are five golf courses on the island: two 18-hole courses at Sandy Lane, which have been recently designed by Tom Fazio; the luxurious 18-hole course at Royal Westmoreland, designed by Robert Trent Jones; the 18-hole course at Southern Golf and Country Club and th 9-hole course at Rockley Resort, which is the oldest course on the island

The water and coral reefs surrounding Barbados are the island's greatest natural attraction. There are a number of traditional water sports activities including sailing, surfing, deep-sea fishing, scuba diving and snorkelling.

Festivals

Barbados celebrates the national festival of Crop Over during the month of July. It is a festival of music, art and dance and exotically costumed Barbadians take to the streets in their thousands during the final parade known as "Kadooment".

In March, the Annual Holders Opera Season offers the music and theatre of local and international performers, and attracts visitors and performers from around the world.