St Vincent and Grenadines: Tourism to revive in two-years post Beryl

St. Vincent and Grenadines: The tourism industry of St. Vincent and the Grenadines will take next to two years to revive and comeback as the hurricane BERYL has caused severe damage to the nation. The minister of tourism, Carlos James addressed the issue stating BERYL as a beast that cause deadly damage to the island nation.

James also emphasized that according to experts it is also being estimated that at least 23 months will be needed to before a proper recovery from a natural hazard this strong.

The minister Carlos James also stated that the authorities have also presented a budget of EC $136 million for the same purpose.

The minister then stated that the government has so far allocated EC$22 million to South Grenadines because it is the most dependent on tourism and the people have suffered a lot because of Beryl.

The government is said to be allocating EC$1.5 million to renovate tourist spots across the country. In addition, the tourism minister spoke of the urgent need to implement a tourism disaster management framework to keep pace with the Sendai Disaster Risk Reduction Framework approved by the UN.

Minister James noted that they must break down and use resources to extend their support to stakeholders. He also confirmed and stated that the government will continue to identify a sustainable framework for tourism.

Underlining the importance of the tourism industry, Minister James pointed out that it is important to focus on the tourism industry because it is the country’s biggest source of income.

The Minister of Tourism for St Vincent and Grenadines said that in the opinion of the government, in addition to the reconstruction of houses, the focus must be on the tourism industry and tourism businesses in the Southern Grenadines.

“Because most of the people on the islands make a living there, we have to give the opportunity to support and provide resources to support their recovery and help them go back.” James said.