GTA seeking to recapture German tourism market

Head of Marketing at the Grenada Tourism
Authority (GTA), Sheldon Keens Douglas.

By Linda Straker

Structures are being put in place to recapture the German and other European tourism markets and the first major undertaking by the Grenada Tourism Authority (GTA) to that market is participating in ITB Berlin, which is being held from March 5 to 9.

Described as the world’s largest tourism convention, ITB Berlin provides unique opportunities to benefit from the leading think tank of the global tourism industry. Head of Marketing at the GTA, Sheldon Keens Douglas, said that the potential for Grenada in the European market is great.

“It’s one of the markets that we believe has great potential for Grenada and our aim is to recapture that market which brought a significant number of visitors years ago, especially when we had the direct flight out of Germany,” said Keens Douglas, who explained that the German market was once Grenada’s fifth largest market.

The delegation to ITB is being led by Tourism Minister, Alexandra Noel-Otway, and while there, she and other members of the delegation will have more than 30 meetings with tour and travel operators and tourism partners, which can assist in pushing the message that Grenada is the place to visit year-round and not just for a winter break.

The four-day convention will see the first two days dedicated to traders in the tourism field and the last two days will be the exhibition, where more than 170 000 visitors are expected to browse through the booths.

Keens Douglas said: “Grenada is returning to the German market by stamping its presence in ITB, which displays all the tourism industry offers as we display our new brand of Pure Grenada.”

With less than 2 000 rooms, Grenada’s plan is to attract the more affluent visitors instead of the mass visitors. “We are not looking nor are we pushing for mass tourism as there are other islands where our entire room stock is one property. Our strategy is to attract the more affluent,” he said.

IWD celebrations going to Carriacou

By Linda Straker

A rally and exhibition tomorrow, March 8, at the Hillsborough Tennis Court will be the main activity by the Ministry of Social Development in conjunction with the Grenada National Organisation of Women (GNOW) to observe International Women’s Day (IWD) 2014.

Elaine Henry McQueen of the Ministry said that the decision to take the celebration to Carriacou is based on the fact that the ministry has held IWD celebrations in every parish with the exception of Carriacou.

“We have taken the celebration to every parish; in some cases, some parishes have had it twice or more times since we started celebrating IWD, so this year we will be heading to Carriacou for the main gathering of women,” she explained.

As part of the rally, GNOW office will be presenting an exhibition which focuses on gender-based violence. Lorice Pascal, Project Officer of GNOW, said that there are two organisations in Carriacou which are members of GNOW and while the office will be mounting the exhibition, it will be the responsibility of its members to maintain it for a period of time.

“The exhibition will be on display for a while and our members there will be responsible for maintaining its presence, so that persons will understand the negative impact of gender-based violence,” she said.

During the rally, a total of six women in Carriacou will be recognised for their outstanding contribution towards the development of women and leadership in general over the years.

“Five will be recognised for what they have already done and one will be recognised for the role she
is currently playing in contributing towards that type of advocacy,” McQueen said.

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Carriacou and Petite Martinique Affairs, Mrs. Gertrude Niles, will deliver the keynote address which will be based on the theme of the day’s observance. McQueen said the theme is “Inspiring Change: Equality for Women is Progress for All”.

“Women’s equality has made positive gains, but the world is still unequal. International Women’s Day celebrates the social, political and economic achievements of women while focusing the world’s attention on areas requiring further action,” she said.

Each year, International Women’s Day is celebrated on March 8. The first International Women’s Day was held in 1911. Thousands of events occur to mark the economic, political and social achievements of women.

Besides the collaboration between the Ministry and GNOW, other organisations such as the women’s arm of political parties and trade unions are organising activities to observe the day in Grenada.

Big welcome planned for Killa and Tallpree

By Linda Straker

Parliamentary Secretary for Culture, Senator Brenda Hood, says that her Ministry along with other stakeholders will give the artistes who represented Grenada in the International Soca Monarch and Groovy competitions a grand welcome upon their return to the island.

“It was anticipated that Mr Killa would win, but he came second and represented us well; that representation was not just on the night, but throughout the entire Carnival season, so too was Tallpree and we are in the process of planning a grand welcome for the two who have promoted Grenada at the highest level in the region,” Hood said on Monday.

Hollis “Mr Killa” Mapp and Wilt “Tallpree” Cambridge were among regional soca artistes who competed in Trinidad’s International Soca Monarch and Groovy Competitions last Friday night. Killa performed his popular “Rolly Polly” tune and was among three who tied for second in the soca competition; while Tallpree did not place in the top four of the Groovy, but performed to his usual high standard.

“They made us feel very proud and coming second to Machel Montano is a major achievement and historic for Hollis. Now despite the fact that he has to share the position with others, he has made history,” she added.

Tallpree is already an appointed Cultural Ambassador for Grenada and Hood explained that because of Killa’s outstanding recent elevation and achievement in the soca world, there is a real possibility that an exception will be made for him to also receive such a title.

“The rules provide for a cultural ambassador to be actively engaged in cultural activities for at least 20 years locally, regionally and internationally, but a case has been put forward for Killa to be recognised and we are reviewing the recommendation,” she said.

Describing the two artistes as inspirations to young people, Hood said that they will go very far in the entertainment industry. “Music is a usual language and as you know, Tallpree has already made a name for himself and I believe that Killa is on the same path where he will do very well. He is part of the generation where the creative industries provide opportunities for personal development and growth and I know he will go very far,” she said.

Strong telecoms vital

Glenn Thorpe, LIME’s Chief Technology Information Officer. 

Mobile communications have achieved in two decades what fixed-line communications took over a century to realise in contributing to the economic and social development of the Caribbean.

According to Glenn Thorpe, Chief Technology Information Officer at telecoms provider LIME, the presence of stronger telecommunication networks will almost certainly attract more foreign investment to Barbados and its regional counterparts.

“LIME has been a pioneer in the telecommunications industry and we believe it is our responsibility to share our knowledge and experience in order to shed some light on the best ways to align activities with the larger socio-economic goals for our region,” he said.

Thorpe was speaking against the backdrop of the company’s ongoing $100 million upgrade to its fibre optics network that will place Barbados at the sharp end of the Caribbean’s telecommunications race.

“Beyond a shadow of a doubt, strong telecommunications can result in tangible socio-economic benefits such as increased employment opportunities, more efficient economies, and improved access to education. This will ultimately lead to more social equality.”

Thorpe, who is overseeing LIME’s island-wide rollout of fibre, also encouraged Caribbean governments and policymakers to enable an environment which is conducive for the future growth and development of the telecommunications sector.

“We are essentially building a future-proof fibre network today, which when complete, will give Barbadians access to one of the most advanced fibre optic networks in the Americas. The fibre which we are rolling out is so advanced that it will be capable of handling the speeds, technology and volume which we cannot even foresee at this present moment,” he said.

“As a company, LIME remains motivated to expand its understanding of the numerous ways in which the core services that we offer create prospects for socio-economic growth and improved fiscal performance. We do this in the belief that our ability to influence society in a positive way feeds directly into our own success as an organisation. In short, as we better understand the communities we serve, we can further enrich our customers’ lives.”

Take advantage of EDF funds

The Barbados-based Caribbean Export Development Agency (Caribbean Export) recently urged the regional private sector to take advantage of the funds made available under the 10th European Development Fund (EDF). Caribbean Export said that the funds being made available through the Direct Assistance Grant Scheme as part of the Regional Private Sector Development Programme (RPSDP).

The Direct Assistance Grant Scheme is a reimbursement grant funding facility specifically designed to provide financial assistance to legally registered firms, individuals and Business Support Organisations who have the potential to export their products and services. Caribbean Export said that regional firm
can apply for grants of up to Euro 30 000 (one euro=US$1.29 cents) providing they meet the eligibility criteria and they are exporting or demonstrate the potential to export goods and services.

Caribbean Export said that throughout 2012 and 2013 it has conducted grant proposal workshops across the Caribbean Forum (Cariforum) countries to prepare stakeholders ahead of the current call for the private sector to take advantage of the funds available. It said last year, it had received 239 applications from across the region and was looking forward to receiving a record number of applications this year.

“The Direct Assistance Grant Scheme is one of the most impactful initiatives that we undertake; some would argue that it is the most impactful because it injects finance into the benefiting firms. We believe that this call for proposals is an opportunity that should be exploited by any regional business that is looking to take that next step.

“Finance is crucial to the development of any company, large or small, and to have a programme like this should not be overlooked, especially in this challenging economic climate,” said Pamela Coke Hamilton, Caribbean Export executive director.

CEDA to help MSMEs spot business opportunities

The Barbados-based Caribbean Export Development Agency (CEDA), an EU-funded project, will help micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) spot new market opportunities using Internet and social media, the agency said in a recent statement.

CEDA encouraged businesses to sign up for the Organisation of American States (OAS) Department of Economic and Social Development’s second edition of the online course “New Market Opportunities for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) Using Internet and Social Media,” to be held from April 10 to June 5, through the OAS Educational Portal of the Americas.

The registration deadline is March 28.

 The course was adapted by the Cave Hill School of Business (CHSB) of the University of the West Indies (UWI) and the objective is to train participants, mainly from the Caribbean region, and raise awareness about how information and communication technology (ICT).

Students must take advantage of their opportunities

Prime Minister of Grenada,
The Rt. Hon. Dr. Keith Mitchell.

“Don’t play with this!”

That was the serious message given to the many students who attended the US Embassy to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) College Fair, recently in Barbados, by the Rt. Hon. Dr. Keith Mitchell, Prime Minister of Grenada, as he presented remarks at the event.

“So colleagues don’t play with this! If you play with your education, you are playing with your entire future; if you get it right then, the future is extremely rosy,” he noted.

Mitchell, who was an alumnus of both the University of the West Indies (UWI) as well as the HBCU at Howard University in the US, stressed the importance of education and encouraged the students to think seriously about where they wanted to explore their tertiary education.

“I think it’s a big plus for those of you who are seriously looking at going abroad for some form of academic training, knowing of course that our regional institutions are in fact providing top-class education, have done so over the years and continue to do so. The fact is that most of the present Caribbean leaders have in fact been students of the UWI,” he noted.

Continuing, he noted that HBCUs also provided many benefits to Caribbean students as well.
“Their educational history and success at producing top students around America, making tremendous contributions in all serious areas of life in the United States and other countries, are clearly one fundamental reason that you must look seriously at those institutions.

“The educational support services and opportunities are, in fact, quite enormous, and I am a good example of the lengths and breadths of the educational diversity one receives,” he told the students.

Speaking to the students, he shared his own experience at going to one of the prestigious HBCUs and noted that one of the most important things for him at the time was not only the academics, but also being able to interact with students from all over the world as well, and learning more and more about their culture and correcting any misinformation he may have had about their way of life.

Stating that it was very important to have that opportunity to interact with others, he pointed out that we were now living in what he termed ‘a global village’, which he noted meant that one’s success would depend more on the ‘quality of services that you provide’.

“The competition is not just Barbados, the competition is not just Grenada. Barbados now has to compete with the rest of the world if we hope to survive, and clearly, there is no question that the fundamental platform to ensure that we can reach there is Information and Communication Technology,” he noted.

To the students who ranged from secondary schools to some tertiary educational institutions, he urged them to broaden their horizons on issues that not only related to their own country, but also in the wider world community.

Calling for a stronger correlation and relationship between the colleges in the United States and the citizenry in the Caribbean, he explained that in this ‘knowledge society’, education was not only key, but it was also power, and appealed to the students not to waste any opportunities that came their way.
(AC)