AIA opens major economic prospects

Keynote speaker at last Saturday’s annual awards and gala dinner of the St Vincent and the Grenadines Cricket Association Inc., Kittian Richard “Ricky” Skerritt, believes that the coming on stream of the Argyle International (AIA) , opens up major economic prospects for St Vincent and the Grenadines.

Skerritt, a former West Indies senior cricket team manager, but who was returning to St Vincent and the Grenadines for the first time in since the opening of the AIA, referred to the structure as “phenomenal”.

The AIA, which formally opened on February 14, 2017, caught the eyes of Skerritt.

According to him, “From what I can see, it clearly was well worth the wait and the high cost”.

One who has been involved in the tourism sector for many years, Skerritt, noted that it is now the turn for all stakeholders to work in unison, to recoup on the investments.

“Investing so heavily in the Argyle International Airport must just have been the start of exciting tourism entertainment wave which would have to be fuelled by the additional public and private sector investment”, Skerritt related.

“Even if you may not yet be seeing all of the signs, my experience over the last 15 years especially, tells me that the launch of your new airport has opened a new chapter in the economic and social history of your country… In this regard, the Argyle International Airport has created a very important stimulus that has the potential to bring together public and private sector concerns to seriously explore some big ideas as a tourism destination”, Skerritt proffered.

Skerritt added: “The airlift and hotel development interest that I expect that your government is already pursuing would be a prerequisite for ushering in a new era of tourism entertainment events here”.

Giving his formula, Skerritt , in his projection stated, “ The equation would basically sounds like this, new international airport, plus increase airlift, plus an increase in the number of hotel rooms, plus big event ideas, plus the right amount of investment dollars, equal an exciting future for the government and people of St Vincent and the Grenadines”.

Skerritt is a former Minister of Tourism in his native St Kitts and Nevis and a former chairman of the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority. At last Saturday’s function he addressed the topic : “ Cricket- The Social an Economic Impact on our Region”.