Charlestown, Nevis
December 18,2007
During 2008, Tourism will receive a total expenditure of EC$2.1 million. “Our policies, therefore, must aim to create the conditions for economic growth, job creation and the broadening of opportunity in the Tourist industry.” ‘We are well aware that competition is becoming more uncompromising not only from around the globe, but within our region”, says Premier of Nevis and Minister of Tourism, Hon. Joseph Parry.
The Tourism sector is an important area that provides the highest employment levels with over 1300 persons employed at the various hotels and restaurants on the island. Tourism also contributes to direct revenues to government amounting to approximately 11% of total revenues.
The Nevis Island Administration pledges during 2008 to implement the following initiatives:
1. Develop the Nevis Tourism product through a number of educational awareness, research and development initiatives and partnerships.
2. Establish a Tourism Youth Council which will comprise of secondary school students and a simulated Travel writers’ workshop for students.
3. Have the Fothergill’s Heritage Village fully operational with the focus turning to the completion of the Plantation Yard museum at New River.
4. Develop a new policy for Sustainable cruise tourism, as well as infrastructural enhancement.
5. Create a Nevis Artisans’ Village which will be of a working commune where a specific area will be developed for craft vendors and creators to have a permanent and attractive location to produce, sell and market locally made craft and agro processing items.
6. Examine new marketing strategies, where developing the Nevis website, blogs, user generated information third party endorsements and the creation of an interface with a booking engine, will complement the traditional approaches to marketing.
7. Continue efforts to improve travel out of Antigua to Nevis, especially to accommodate flights out of the United Kingdom and the rest of Europe. Carib Aviation will operate scheduled flights to and from Nevis that will allow passengers to make connecting flights to British Airways.
According to the Hon. Joseph Parry, Premier and Minister of Tourism, “…our goal for 2008 is to make Nevis more competitive in the tourism arena. The challenge we must face is to apply what is the most environmentally sound, economically efficient, and socially equitable way of advancing a sustainable tourism industry.”