As the year comes to a close and you start thinking about the holidays for the year 2010, the Barbados Tourism Authority wants tourists to know that Barbados is not only a Caribbean beach destination. Of course, sand and sea to make a sexy scene, but the island does not want to rest on its beauty. The Tourism Authority released the schedule for ‘10 to show it had some substance, or at least a few cool festivals and events.

Checking the next few years highlights after the jump.

· Hike Barbados – Sunday, January to December
See the range of Barbados’ natural beauty, and do some last-minuting tightening before hitting the beach, with hiking through sugarcane fields, ditches, tropical forests and coastal communities. Free three-hour increase in leave from different locations on the island. You can choose from two miles to the nine-mile trip is a good treks in the morning, afternoon or evening.

· Slam-a-Dom Extravaganza – January 21, 23, 24
Apparently, sports domino-we did not know it was considered a “sport”-a very great among Barbadians. So much so that they create an international Slam-a-Dom tournament to promote it. We will bring us face paint and get us ready for a wave of competition.

· Waterman Festival – 6-7 Februari
Since it was an island, of course there must be a festival dedicated to water sports. Waterman Festival which celebrates surfing, windsurfing and kite surfing with a series of competitive activities. Activities take place throughout the island and especially for professionals, but amateurs can try it too.

· Crop Over Festival – July 3 to August 2
Crop Over is Barbados’ biggest, loudest and most loved festivals. Dating back to 1780’s, when the island was one of the largest sugar producer in the world, the end of the sugar cane harvest is marked by a large party, and the tradition continues today. Party did not stop for five weeks with live music, dance, carnival, markets, cultural presentations and much more. Kadooment fun ended on Day (August 3) with festivals and parades, complete with colorful costumes, calypso music and lots of rum.

· Barbados International Film Festival – 1-5 Desember
This annual festival features independent cinema from around the world, but the reason to see it is the local made the Caribbean and Latin American films.