Bangkok--Sep 30--eTurbo news
ST. GEORGES, Grenada (eTurboNews) -- Grenada's cruise tourism industry is shining brighter again, following the arrival of the Norwegian Spirit on Tuesday, November 9.
President of the Spice Isle Taxi Association Joseph Nelson said that since the arrival of that first ship which carried 1984 passenger business has being on the upward trend.
Three weeks before the official start of the 2004/2005 winter cruise ship season Hurricane Ivan with winds of 130 miles per hour devastated the entire island practically destroying the island's tourism.
Cruise tourism plays an integral part in tourism industry and it was soon realized that serious actions had to be taken to bring back the ships to the spice isle that are now making stops in other Caribbean destinations.
The development of the cruise industry is an immediate source of income and it is receiving special treatment to ensure that benefit don't just trickle but flow into the industry's hand.
Since the docking of the Norwegian Spirit there have been more than 30 cruise ships of varying size docking at port St. George. "Business is getting brighter and we hope it continues to improve," Joseph said.
One of the initiatives immediately taken was the retraining of licensed vendors, taxi-drivers and other service providers who are now required to display their post Hurricane Ivan certified badge. They have now departed from the various association colors of blue or yellow shirts and are now wearing special tee-shirts and photo identifications badges. "These service providers earlier participated in a series of orientation workshops which focused on the delivery of quality service to visitors and locals as well," a spokesperson for the Grenada Board of Tourism said.
Another initiative is the approving of tourist attractions sites. Officially, there are more than 30 tourism sites but the winds of the hurricane destroyed or damaged those of the venues leaving little or nothing behind.
However, there are now 12 certified by the Board of Tourism, which provide visitors will a heritage view of the island. The official beaches are now Grand Anse and Morne Rouge; spice shopping is limited to the Welcome Center and Vendors Markets and the Grand Anse Spice Vendors Market. Visitors can also visit the Camehogne Park; Stroll around the Carenage; Grand Etang Nature Reserve; Annadale Waterfall and Mount Carmel Waterfalls; the Clabony Sulphur springs; Douglaston Estate as well as Forts Frederick and George.
Tourism is seen as the lead sector in recuperation of the services sector in the island. With this in mind, accent will be placed on product diversification involving education, heritage, sports and leisure and entertainment as well as community attractions.
In order to build the industry, training and labor exchange programs will be pursued within Caricom, the Caribbean Tourism Organization and other tourism organization, said Minister for Tourism Senator Brenda Hood.
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