St. Vincent and the Grenadines joins in observance of Caribbean Tourism Month

St. Vincent and the Grenadines joins the rest of the Caribbean in Celebrating Caribbean Tourism Month 2015 under the theme ‘One Sea, One Voice, One Caribbean. However in St.

St. Vincent and the Grenadines joins the rest of the Caribbean in Celebrating Caribbean Tourism Month 2015 under the theme ‘One Sea, One Voice, One Caribbean. However in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, the activities which commenced on Sunday November 1st with a Church Service are being celebrated using the slogan ‘Tourism is everyone’s business: Live it, Love it, Embrace it!

The month-long activities, include a Photo Challenge for the general public, a two-day Tourism Career Expo, the launch of a Tourism Sitcom & Comic Book, ‘Know Your Country’ tours for industry staff and members of the local media and police force and the Annual Tourism Youth Congress for secondary students and & a Tourism Debate for Tertiary students at the divisions of the Community College. The activities would culminate with the Annual Tourism Awards Cocktail Reception & a Cocktail Challenge for Bartenders.

The following is the 2015 Tourism Month Message from the Hon. Cecil McKie, Minister of Tourism, Sports and Culture:

November is here again and we at the Ministry of Tourism, Sports and Culture have double reasons to celebrate. November marks the official start of the new tourist season and it is also Tourism Month. In St. Vincent and the Grenadines Tourism Month 2015 would be celebrated using the slogan: “Tourism is Everyone’s Business: Live it! Love it! Embrace it!” You may recognize that the slogan remains the same this year. We have decided to repeat the theme because its inherent message of collective responsibility as a necessary effort to drive tourism which is as essential as is timeless. The realization that we are all stakeholders of this vital industry must take root within our understanding.

Tourism is responsible for about 12% of our nation’s gross domestic product. It therefore means that tourism is one of the main economic pillars on which our country stands. Tourism is also intertwined with other major productive sectors like construction and agriculture and almost every branch of the services industry, from transportation to entertainment to banking. Such a multi-faceted industry cannot progress unless there is an “All Hands On Deck” approach. It is in that spirit of collaboration that we ask you to live it, love it and embrace it.

This may lead to the following question: “How can we live it, love it and embrace it? We can live it by submitting ourselves to some of the many leisure experiences that SVG has to offer. Explore our waterfalls, our beaches, our hiking trails or how about a Stay-cation in the Grenadines? This experiential approach will help us to develop a more profound love of our tourism product as well as a keen sense of ownership. We can also live it by being a personification of excellence within the tourism industry. This begins with myself and extends to everyone who works within the tourism sector. Whatever our job, let us strive to be ambassadors of best practices. Allow me to skip the loving it part for now and jump right to the embracing aspect.

An embrace in its most typical context tends to be a show of affection. We can embrace our tourism by accepting it as something of value that must be cherished and protected. The wellbeing of our tourism product and the wellbeing of our natural environment are inextricably linked. We can embrace our tourism by cherishing and protecting our natural environment. We can also embrace it by warmly welcoming local, regional and international visitors to our shores, sites and attractions and ensuring their visit is memorable. This is essential for a sustainable tourism product. We cannot of course, live and embrace our tourism without love. Love is the corner stone of it all!

Throughout the month of November a program of activities would be implemented to build public awareness, strengthen inter tourism industry relationships and recognize outstanding performances within the industry over the past year. One of the activities this year is a two day Tourism Career Expo to be held at the Richmond Hill playing field on November 12th to 13th, 2015. This expo would feature some of the many careers that are available in the tourism industry and is intended mainly for students. This event is expected to be exciting with tourism and hospitality professionals on hand to share their experiences with students. It is important that our students are properly exposed to career possibilities in the field of tourism and hospitality. As the local tourism industry continues to expand with game changing initiatives like the Argyle International Airport, and Tourism Service Standards, we have to ensure that we have the necessary human resource to sustain and further that expansion. It is in that vein that the Government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines has constructed and would soon open the Hospitality and Maritime Training Institute at Diamond.

Other activities include a Tourism Exhibition at Heritage Square, Tourism Street 20 Cricket and a Tourism Awards and Cocktail. More information on these activities would be shared by the Communications Unit within the Ministry of Tourism, Sports and Culture.
To conclude, let us be mindful that St. Vincent and the Grenadines is a tourism product that is marketed to the world. This product does not only include the beautiful scenery, it includes you and me. Each of us therefore has a personal responsibility to make this product the best there is! Remember, Tourism is Everyone’s business: Live it! Love it! Embrace it!

Happy Tourism Month 2015!

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Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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