The Ministry of Tourism, Sports and Culture is celebrating Tourism Month 2016 from November 1 to 31 under the slogan: “Tourism is Everyone’s Business. Live it, Love it, Embrace it.”

Tourism Month is an opportunity to raise the level of tourism awareness among our students, stakeholders and general population. It is meant to encourage Vincentians to appreciate just how important the industry is to the sustainable development of our islands {{more}} and to familiarize themselves with the local tourism product and the diversity of our 32 islands.

The month’s theme is key, as it focuses on how each facet of our society can play a vital role in the development of our tourism industry. The month of activities began with a Thanksgiving Service on Tuesday, November 1, 2016 at the Peace Memorial Hall, where Reverend Adolph Davis gave an enlightening message on the topic ‘Developing a God-based Philosophy of Tourism. The thanksgiving service was well attended by key agencies and stakeholders within the industry.

Cecil Mckie, Minister of Tourism, Sports and Culture, also Minister with responsibility for the National Parks, Rivers and Beaches Authority (NPRBA), conducted two days of visits on October 31 and November 1 to eight tourism sites managed by NPRBA.

The sites visited included: The Botanic Gardens; Vermont Nature Trail; Layou Petroglyph Parks; Cumberland Beach Recreation Park; Indian Bay Beach facility; Rawacou Recreation Park; Black Point Heritage Park; Owia Salt Pond Park.

The visits, which were organized immediately ahead of the 2016/2017 visitor season, enabled the Minister to have a first-hand view of several tourism sites, to assess current site conditions and to interact with site workers, as part of preparations for the upcoming visitor season. The Minister was accompanied on the visits by staff from the NPRBA and the Tourism Authority, as well as the chair of the NPRBA.

In 2015, just over 46,000 visits were recorded by foreign visitors to the 12 tourism sites managed by the NPRBA on St Vincent. The tourism sites play a very important role in the country’s tourism product and are highly utilized by cruise visitors. The first scheduled cruise call to the destination occurred on October 26 to Mayreau, with the first cruise ship call expected on November 11 to Kingstown — an inaugural call to St Vincent and the Grenadines — by the Britannia.

Today, November 4, the Ministry of Tourism will host a Tourism Career Expo at the Kingstown Methodist Church Hall from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., under the theme ‘Endless Opportunities. Discover your Possibilities’. The purpose of the Expo is to showcase the exciting and appealing opportunities within the Tourism and Hospitality Industry.