Tourism gearing up for higher altitude

With the Argyle International Airport in operation and offering non-stop direct flights and with private and public sector investment in hotel expansion and development, this country’s tourism sector, which is vital to the overall economy, is being positioned for a lift-off.
Delivering his speech at the Independence Day parade at Victoria Park last Saturday, Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves highlighted the importance of the Argyle International Airport in facilitating the increase in number of passengers and he also underscored the importance of this country’s ability to be better positioned in terms of room capacity so that there will be an adequate amount of rooms to accommodate stay over visitors.
“Currently, a bundle of policies and programmes of our government is delivering much success and promises to yield even more in the future. The historic Argyle International Airport (AIA) which began operations on February 14, 2017, has occasioned an increase in passengers-by-air; successful direct non-stop connections have been established between Argyle and New York and Toronto, respectively by CAL and Air Canada. On December 15th this year American Airlines begin their non-stop flight from Argyle to Miami, and other international carriers and destinations are in the offing,” Dr. Gonsalves said.
The Prime Minister gave a brief of how the hotel accommodation is being expanded to accommodate the influx of passengers.
“The Resort at Adams Bay, Bequia, is about to be opened. The Buccament Bay Resort has finally been sorted out with new investors who are soon to take over ownership. The Black Sands Resort at Peter’s Hope is under construction. The Mandarin Canouan Resort is in operation, and the Government has secured low-cost funding to construct a 250-room brand-named hotel at Mt. Wynne and a 90-room airport hotel at Diamond,” he said.
Dr. Gonsalves noted that “cruise and yachting visitors are dramatically on the rise” and that “the top-of-the-line Glossy Bay Marina in Canouan is about to enter its first full year of operation.”