Grenada wants more TT visitors

Grenadian singer Tami Baldeo entertains guests.
Grenadian singer Tami Baldeo entertains guests.

JOAN RAMPERSAD

A delegation from the spice island, Grenada, flew into Trinidad on Sunday, to woo Trinbagonians for the Pure Grenada experience.

Billed as A Taste of Grenada, Patricia Maher, chief executive officer of the Grenada Tourism Authority (GTA), in the welcome reception held at the Hyatt Regency said there is always something happening on the island and explained why TT is so important to Grenada.

“We had over 15,000 Trinidadians coming to Grenada last year. It is our single largest regional market for Grenada. So you are very important to us.” Maher said while Spicemas attracts most tourists, particularly Trinidadians in August, locals also like June and July to visit, as well as Easter and Christmas.

Minister of Tourism Shamfa Cudjoe, centre, with members of the Grenada delegation on Sunday at The Hyatt Regency, Port of Spain.

The Pure Grenada Music Festival that takes place in April has grown a lot since it began three years ago, Maher said, so too their Chocolate Festival held in May.She said that they are developing their hotel product. “We have a new hotel, the Silver Sands, the first in Grand Anse Beach in 25 years and on the other end of the beach is the Kimpton Kawana Bay, a 220-room hotel we are building new. So in the next two years, we will grow our room stock by 3,500.”

Sir Royston Hopkin, ambassador at large for tourism, and chairman/managing director of the Spice Island Beach Resort, also called on TT citizens to visit Grenada and see what they have to offer, as there are lots of things to see, do and visit on the island.

He then spoke of his posh all-inclusive resort saying that it is Grenada’s only recipient of the coveted AAA Five Diamond Award, and the only one independently owned by a black person. He was applauded for that achievement.

Welcoming guests to the event from left are Jennifer Johnson of Cheryl Andrews marketing communications; Patricia Maher, chief executive officer, Grenada Tourism Authority (GTA); Shanai St Bernard, marketing executive and Francine Stewart, marketing manager .

He then went into more specifics of the hotel on Grand Anse Beach in a push to lure more visitors to get that luxury experience, then gave way to other hoteliers in the delegation to sell their own product.

Among the other hoteliers making presentations was Kisha Smith of True Blue Bay Boutique Resort, Alicia Serrao (Belmont Estate), Dyan Amede (Coyaba Beach Resort), Hannah Budhlall (Calabash Luxury Boutique Hotel), Livonne Charles (Summer Direct) and Loraine Louison (Kalinago Beach Resort).

Other GTA officials present were Shanai St Bernard, marketing executive, client development director; Jennifer Johnson and Francine Stewart, the marketing manager who spoke of what she termed as Grenada, the best-kept secret of the Caribbean.

The Grenada Destination Promotion continues until tomorrow when the delegation visits San Fernando for Travel Agent Exposition at the Royal Hotel, after conducting radio and television interviews all of yesterday, and hosting the first day of the exposition at Hyatt Regency.

Before departing tomorrow the GTA delegation will do more radio and television interviews.

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"Grenada wants more TT visitors"

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