• Latest
October seen as turning point for tourism industry

PM remarks on The Future of Tourism, What is Next?

1 year ago
Grenada celebrates 75 Years of Indian Independence

Grenada celebrates 75 Years of Indian Independence

8 hours ago
Crew members of Harbour Master plead guilty

Crew members of Harbour Master plead guilty

12 hours ago
Tropical Weather Outlook: Monday, 15 August 2022 (2 am)

Tropical Weather Outlook: Monday, 15 August 2022 (2 am)

18 hours ago
Tropical Weather Outlook: Sunday, 14 August 2022 (2 pm)

Tropical Weather Outlook: Sunday, 14 August 2022 (2 pm)

1 day ago
Breaking News: Charged For “Causing Death by Dangerous Driving”

Captain and crew of Harbour Master to appear in court Monday

2 days ago
Honouring Margaret Roberts Steele

Honouring Margaret Roberts Steele

2 days ago
Party boat crew members detained following assault of sportsman Anderson Peters

Harbour Master captain claims Grenadian champ was aggressor

2 days ago
Tropical Weather Outlook: Sunday, 14 August 2022 (8 am)

Tropical Weather Outlook: Sunday, 14 August 2022 (8 am)

2 days ago
Claims of coronavirus at SGU designed to create fear and panic

Covid-19 update: Grenada Dashboard 12 August 2022

2 days ago
Tropical Weather Outlook: Saturday, 13 August 2022 (8 am)

Tropical Weather Outlook: Saturday, 13 August 2022 (8 am)

3 days ago
Party boat crew members detained following assault of sportsman Anderson Peters

Harbour Master arrested as part of civil proceedings

3 days ago
Tanteen Road Closes At Noon

Road Closure: Carenage Public Road

3 days ago
NOW Grenada
  • Front Page
  • Categories
    • General News
      • All
      • Agriculture & Fisheries
      • Arts & Culture
      • Business
      • Education
      • Environment
      • Health
      • History
      • Lifestyle
      • Law
      • Politics
      • Technology
      • Travel & Tourism
      • Weather
      • Youth
    • Sports
      • All
      • Athletics
      • Cricket
      • Football
      • Watersports
    • Community
      • All
      • Tribute
    • Crime
    • Features
      • All
      • Today in History
    • Opinion/Commentary
    • Press Releases
      • All
      • Advertisements
      • Notices
  • Video
  • Notices & Vacancies
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
No Result
View All Result
  • Front Page
  • Categories
    • General News
      • All
      • Agriculture & Fisheries
      • Arts & Culture
      • Business
      • Education
      • Environment
      • Health
      • History
      • Lifestyle
      • Law
      • Politics
      • Technology
      • Travel & Tourism
      • Weather
      • Youth
    • Sports
      • All
      • Athletics
      • Cricket
      • Football
      • Watersports
    • Community
      • All
      • Tribute
    • Crime
    • Features
      • All
      • Today in History
    • Opinion/Commentary
    • Press Releases
      • All
      • Advertisements
      • Notices
  • Video
  • Notices & Vacancies
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
No Result
View All Result
NOW Grenada
No Result
View All Result

PM remarks on The Future of Tourism, What is Next?

This story was posted 1 year ago
11 May 2021
in PRESS RELEASE, Travel/Tourism
4 min. read
Image by Tony Prats from Pixabay
Share

Remarks by Prime Minister, Dr the Right Honourable Keith Mitchell on 11 May 2021at the UN High-Level Discussion – The Future of Tourism, What is Next?

I must first commend the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for initiating this high-level discussion on the future of tourism, a very necessary conversation, given the devastating blow dealt to the sector by the Covid-19 pandemic. So thank you, for this event and for your continued demonstration of support for the Caribbean.

If we are to be brutally honest with ourselves, we will admit that we really do not know for certain what is next. Grenada and other countries in the region are trying to restart the tourism sector but it is proving to be quite a challenge. And as we continue to see spikes in Covid-19 cases in some countries, the emergence of new, more aggressive variants and many border closures, the uncertainty of the future becomes even more concerning.

Notwithstanding the challenges, we continue to be optimistic that the tourism industry will rebound and recover. Our expectations in that regard must be tempered by an unwavering commitment to give priority consideration to the safety of our people. Placing safety at the pinnacle of our efforts to restart tourism will serve as an attraction in and of itself. A country that demonstrates good Covid-19 management protocols, along with easy and efficient entry protocols will no doubt be included on the list of preferred destinations. In fact, Grenada has already been identified on a list of 6 countries that potential travelers should have on their radar to visit, once they have been fully vaccinated.

It is disappointing to note that no Caribbean country was included on the UK green list of safe countries approved for non-essential travel. This drives home the urgency for Grenada and other Caribbean countries to come together to lobby the UK for green light status, based on our relatively low case numbers and astute management of the pandemic. This will create a tremendous opportunity to increase the Caribbean’s global market share as many popular destinations in places such as Italy, China, Spain, and South Africa will be closed out.

Positive or low-risk ratings by the US and the UK will be good news for the tourism sector in the Caribbean as travelers from these countries will be able to visit the region without fear of punitive consequences when they return home. These ratings/rankings are also likely to guide where airlines will decide to focus their marketing efforts and increase the likelihood of more traffic, resulting in more available seats and hopefully more travelers using those seats to visit our region.

My friends, we cannot ignore the fact that travel is no longer hassle-free. Testing, quarantine requirements and Covid-19 protocols such as wearing a mask, have added a layer of complexity to travel, increased costs considerably and removed the element of spontaneity, all of which stand to negatively impact tourism.

But hope springs eternal and we anticipate that the pent-up demand created by lockdowns, will drive people to travel. Many would want to travel and the Caribbean will be a favourable destination.

It is an opportune time to focus more on intra-regional travel. Considerable resources are invested into attracting visitors from around the world, but we often forget that there is a ready market in closer proximity. The question is how do we tap into this? What initiatives can we embark on to encourage Caribbean nationals to travel among the various islands? My friends, one such initiative would be reducing the travel tax and making the cost of airline tickets more affordable. However, this must be a collaborative effort among the islands.

The vision for the future of regional tourism should also include greater emphasis on heritage tourism. The Caribbean has a rich heritage and there is significant potential for that history and culture to become a more visible part of the attraction of various destinations. Therefore, greater emphasis should be placed on developing and promoting these sites.

There is also a view that community-minded travel will become more popular in the future as the pandemic has caused many people to become more aware of the global community and some may opt for more community-oriented tourism rather than the glitzy-glamourous side of the industry. With that in mind, as we strategise on the way forward, community tourism is likely to become a national priority area for Grenada, an approach that will create more opportunities for self-employed individuals and potential growth of micro, small and medium-size enterprises.

Here in Grenada, we are confident about the future of tourism. Several developments are currently underway, which will create significant and diverse job opportunities for our people. Additionally, a recent initiative launched here in Grenada – the West Indies School of Hospitality will bring tremendous training opportunities for persons involved in the tourism sector. The initiative, in partnership with Cornell University, also stands to benefit our brothers and sisters across the region and will certainly lead to greater empowerment of our people.

In closing, I want to reiterate that the future prospects look good and I strongly urge that we keep our guard up. New Covid-19 variants and vaccine hesitancy could threaten to overwhelm our system but at the same time, there are numerous paths out of the crisis that also present golden opportunities for growth. As with many other things, unity of purpose is an incredible driving force and the Caribbean should therefore seek to speak with one voice in our lobbying efforts. Let us tread lightly but look positively towards a better future.

GIS

NOW Grenada is not responsible for the opinions, statements or media content presented by contributors. In case of abuse, click here to report.
Tags: coronaviruscovid-19heritage tourismkeith mitchellundpunited nations development programmevaccine hesitancy
Next Post

Response by Minister for Education to Global Education Monitoring Report (GEM)

Comments 5

  1. OompaLoompa says:
    1 year ago

    “This will create a tremendous opportunity to increase the Caribbean’s global market share as many popular destinations in places such as Italy, China, Spain, and South Africa will be closed out.”

    They have Portugal in Europe instead of Spain or Italy. There are beach destinations like Albania where they can enter without any restrictions.

    In June there will be more green countries for sure. China or South Africa cater to different tourists than Grenada usually. Your biggest threat is Mexico which has never shut down the borders and Dominican R which recently reopened.

    Enjoy impoverishing the country at the expense of a virus that seriously affects few % at most. And there are vaccines (not the Chinese ones) that apparently work.

    Reply
  2. Jen Jen says:
    1 year ago

    How dare you say you have heritage tourism??? ALL the heritage buildings I came to see are either non-existent or dilapidated, or destroyed like what you did to York House you left it open to the weather since IVAN ! Then you ripped out all the interior destroying all the heritage details. You sir are a farce as the public Library building continues to rot awsy including the historical documents inside. You just need to retire.

    Reply
    • GC says:
      1 year ago

      Jen Jen – totally agree – Heritage tourism has been one of the few things that NNP have ignored even more than agriculture! So much history just being allowed to crumble away or being totally under-utilized across the island. I predict it will take a foreigner to see the possibilities and make use of them…..

      Reply
    • Jazmine Charles says:
      1 year ago

      Jen Jen always speak truth for all to hear. Government have no respect for heritage, they let it fall to ruin. Public Library need attention but not get. Retire KM, your time is done, Grenada needs fresh leadership, that common knowledge.

      Reply
  3. Michael says:
    1 year ago

    Very accurate report; nice !
    I watched the live presentation this morning at 9:30.
    We are from Pennsylvania USA.
    Since we are retired, can only afford a short-term holiday.
    WE chose Grenada Sandals Resort,
    since it is highly rated.
    My understanding is, locals do not benefit from us, at this time, because we will be quarantined on the resort.
    I am sorry that we cannot stay longer, past quarantine to experience local.

    Reply

Comment on post Cancel reply

Please enter your valid email address.
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

© NOW Grenada. All Rights Reserved. Published by Aqua Design Inc. | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy

No Result
View All Result
  • Front Page
  • Categories
    • General News
      • All
      • Agriculture & Fisheries
      • Arts & Culture
      • Business
      • Education
      • Environment
      • Health
      • History
      • Lifestyle
      • Law
      • Politics
      • Technology
      • Travel & Tourism
      • Weather
      • Youth
    • Sports
      • All
      • Athletics
      • Cricket
      • Football
      • Watersports
    • Community
      • All
      • Tribute
    • Crime
    • Features
      • All
      • Today in History
    • Opinion/Commentary
    • Press Releases
      • All
      • Advertisements
      • Notices
  • Video
  • Notices & Vacancies
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us

Copyright NOW Grenada

We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website.

You can find out more about which cookies we are using or switch them off in settings. Visit our Privacy Policy | Terms of Use.

Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful. Visit our Privacy Policy | Terms of Use.

Strictly Necessary Cookies

Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.