Plans in action for diversified tourism sector

Partnerships are already being sought with various industries to aid in the diversification of the tourism sector, which has been left reeling due toCovid-19.

Addressing the 25th anniversary celebration of the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre on Friday night, Minister of Tourism Senator Lisa Cummins highlighted the heavy toll the Covid-19 pandemic has exacted on the island’s main foreign exchange earning sector, thousands of its now jobless workers and the wider economy.

Pointing to the belief being shared by sosme that now was the time for the island to pull away from the industry, Cummins insisted such a move was not necessary, particularly in light of the heavy investment placed in tourism over past decades.

“What we have an opportunity to do now – is to diversify within tourism, expand the sector and build the kind of niche segments that we are already working on in the industry, and also to build the value chain and supply chain linkages that are required to take the broader economy along with us.

“With that in mind, in the coming weeks we will be meeting with the manufacturing sector the agricultural sector, the services sector under which the orange economy often falls – the creative and entertainment industries… We are going to be meeting also with the international business partners about the possibility of attracting into our country further illustrations of conference tourism and education tourism. So we are looking at all of the niches and all of the opportunities,” she added.

Cummins highlighted that alongwith meetings with local tourism stakeholders and workers’ bargaining agents, her ministry over the past week also met with international partners including representatives from Gatwick International Airport, Virgin Atlantic, British Airways, and existing and potential hotel investors, and assured more would be revealed “on how we intend to refashion what we now call the ‘reimagined tourism product.’”