Recovering from the devastation of Hurricane Ivan, the Grenada Tourism Board is spicing up what will be a fun-filled year of festivities for visitors.

On March 11 and 12 of this year, members of the tourist board will be here in St. Vincent to promote the Spice Isle. The two-day trip will give Vincentians the opportunity to indulge in different aspects of life on the Spice Island through a consumer show.{{more}}

If Vincentians are wondering, is it now safe to travel to Grenada? The answer is yes.

“We are open for business and everything is back to normal,” said Naline Joseph of the Grenada Tourist Board.

With over 50 per cent tourist accommodations available post Ivan, Joseph, who heads tourism marketing in Grenada, said approximately 750 rooms are available at 39 establishments there.

“We have hotels that were never closed during Ivan, and by the end of this year hotels that were affected by the devastation will be much better enhanced,” Joseph mentioned.

Moods are changing from the shocking tragedy that reeked havoc on the island in September last year as preparations are quickly being put into place for what will be a more “spicy” and interesting tourism season.

Although remnants of the effects are still visible on the island, which sustained losses in excess of 100 million from Hurricane Ivan, cruise tourism continues to flourish.

“Grenada is doing well in cruise tourism. We had a strategy to ensure that the key attractions were cleaned up, certified and ready for business,” Joseph said.

The island has been receiving over 70,000 cruise passengers for the past two months from leading cruise liners such as the Sun Princess, the Golden Princess and Empress of the Seas, which continue to dock at its shores.

With continued reinforcement in the tourism industry through enhanced training and site rehabilitation, the island has seen a seven per cent increase in arrivals from St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

Stay-over visitors from St. Vincent to the island grew by 35 per cent from 2003 with another nine per cent increase last year.

And, with the Caribbean contributing 26 per cent of visitors arriving in Grenada, over 25 per cent from the United States and 23 per cent from the UK, Joseph said she is happy to know the Caribbean people are visiting the island for leisure and festivals.

The Tourism Board will start its Regional Promotions for 2005 in Trinidad & Tobago, Barbados, St. Lucia and St. Vincent where the campaign, under the theme “The Spice Lives”, will be launched.

St. Vincent and the Grenadines is the fourth largest source market of visitors to Grenada.