Charlestown Nevis (July 24, 2006)
The Nevis Tourism Authority (NTA) in its continued effort to market Nevis as one of the finest destinations in the travel industry, on Saturday July 22nd, hosted a number of travel agents from the United States, the British Virgin Islands and Antigua during a Mini Market held at the Mount Nevis Hotel.The Market was organised to facilitate travel agents on an individual basis to meet with the hoteliers and other persons involved in the tourism industry. The event served to better equip the agents with information to sell Nevis as a tourism destination to their clients.
As he welcomed the delegations to Nevis and declared the Mini Mart opened, Premier and Minister of Tourism, the Hon Mr. Joseph Parry expressed his delight and said, “We are all one family in this part of the Caribbean.”
“I’m pleased this morning to see so many of you together because we have a product in the Caribbean which is unique tourism and for us, tourism is not just sunshine, water and beaches, it has a lot to do with people and the creativity of people,” Premier Parry said.
He told the participants that although tourism was intertwined with creativity, intelligence and the friendliness of people as he stressed the importance of packaging sea, sunshine and people as part of the total tourism product.
“The intelligence of our people and the friendliness of our people, you have to wrap that into one product and of course the island’s natural beauty. Whatever the island offered, the talent, whatever is available. So I’m pleased this morning to have you here working together as one, for the promotion of your business and the promotion of the Caribbean,” said Mr. Parry.
Some of the partners involved with the Mini Market were the Nevis Historical and Conservation Society, the Nevis Culturama Committee, Philsha’s Guest House and the Nevis Craft House.
Meantime, Marketing Chairperson of the Nevis Culturama Committee, Mr. Huey Sargeant in an interview with the Government Information Service expressed the Committee’s pleasure to be a part of the event since the opportunity was utilised to promote the 2006 Culturama Festival which is slated for July 28th-August 8th.
“We are not only marketing for this year’s festival but for future festivals and we think that the markets of the United States and British Virgin Islands, Antigua and other Leeward Islands are prime markets for Nevis’ Culturama.
“There are a number of persons in those islands who would want to visit Nevis and the displaying of our culture especially, is a good way of marketing the island for tourism and other services or goods that we may have,” he said,