Engaging activities set for Tourism Month 2017

‘Dress Like a Tourist Day’ and talks about tourism are just two of the activities planned by the Ministry of Tourism in celebration of Tourism Month 2017.

Communications manager at the Ministry of Tourism, Sports and Culture Jay Belmar opened the Tourism Month of activities on October 31 with the launch of the new tourism jingle.

Belmar explained that the new tourism jingle and a series of new advertisements are encouraging persons to embrace domestic vacations/staycations and other forms of domestic tourism.

“Tourism is everyone’s business. It’s all hands on deck; we all must play our role for it to work,” Belmar told reporters during a press briefing at the Ministry of Tourism.

The activities marking Tourism Month continue today, with the launch of the Reef Guardian School Project, which is aimed at two schools, the Calliaqua Anglican School and the Sugar Mill Academy. The school intervention project includes a syllabus that speaks to improving stewardship and owning the responsibility to reduce the impact on marine areas.

Tomorrow, November 8, will see tourism officials visiting farmers attached to the Reef Guardian Farmers project, where farmers are being taught better agronomic practices that will reduce the impacts on streams and the marine ecosystem.

On Friday, persons in the workplace are being encouraged to dress like a tourist, as that day has been designated, ‘Dress Like a Tourist Day’. Human resource training will also take place on Friday and Monday, November 13.

Other activities for the month include the careers in tourism chats with students on November 15, an art and craft exhibition on the Port Authority lawn at the Cruise Ship and Ferry Berth on November 17, a tour of the St Vincent Cocoa Company on November 21 and a fish fry event on November 23.

November 23 is also the day the floating bookstore MV Logos Hope will dock here.

Belmar said that Ministry of Tourism personnel will meet with MV Logos Hope personnel on that day. She noted that the Logos last came here in 2009 and it provides over 5,000 book titles to wouldbe shoppers. The Logos leaves on December 3.

Commenting on the month of activities, Minister of Tourism, Sports and Culture Cecil McKie encouraged persons to take part in the activities, as, in his opinion, tourism is the most important productive sector.

He said we are coming off the month of October, Independence month, which saw numerous activities, and November is expected to be the same.(LC)