SVGHTA says they are on track for World Cup Cricket

The St. Vincent and the Grenadines Hotel and Tourism Association says all is well with plans to accommodate cricket lovers for the staging of next year’s Cricket World Cup warm up matches here.

President of the SVGHTA, Leroy Lewis, told Searchlight Business on Monday that plans are already in place to adequately accommodate the visitors expected here during the tournament. {{more}}

Lewis said the SVGHTA, the Local Organizing Committee for the Cricket World Cup and the Ministry of Tourism would be pushing the idea of bed and breakfast in private homes for stay over visitors coming to participate in the event.

“Based on what I have been hearing we won’t have any problems to accommodate the people that would be coming in… I don’t anticipate a great influx of people for the warm up matches, but as far as the accommodation is concerned I think we will be okay.” Lewis stated.

According to the SVGHTA head, using people’s homes as a bread and breakfast accommodation is one suggestion the Hotel and Tourism Association will be looking at.

While these homes would have to be inspected and certified to meet the standards of the SVGHTA, Lewis explained that training would be another major aspect of the preparation.

“We are putting together a standard for St. Vincent and the Grenadines right now, we want to make sure the standards would fit into a world class event,” Lewis said.

Lewis noted that some 75 persons will be certified with assistance from the Ministry of Health and the Fire Department before our country can accommodate visitors for the World Cup Cricket warm up matches.

“I am convinced we can pull it off, from the accommodation part we are well set…

It’s our event and we agreed we would all put our best foot forward to make sure we have a world-class event.”

He also mentioned that opportunities would most likely exist for hotels in the Grenadines to house tourists who would want to attend matches in neighbouring St. Lucia and Grenada.

Even as we are on track to host visitors for our leg of the event, other territories, Guyana for one, have expressed concern about accommodation, while Jamaican hoteliers are worried over not earning enough income from the staging of the event.

Along with this, organizers of next year’s Cricket World Cup have expressed serious concern over the reported planned hike in the cost of rooms.

Last month, Managing Director and CEO of Cricket World Cup 2007, Chris Dehring, asked CARICOM to intervene on the issue.

Despite CWC’s concerns, President of the Caribbean Hotel Association, Berthia Parle, has insisted that operators remain unwilling to give up their rooms for a fraction of what they normally earn in the peak season.