OECS Regional Tourism Competitiveness Project

• OECS Regional Tourism Competitiveness Project Regional Resettlement Policy Framework
• Environmental and Social Management Framework for the OECS Regional Tourism Competitiveness Project
• General Procurement Notice

Taxi/Transit Ad Pilot Project

Ten (10) taxis from the SVG Taxi Association over the period of 1 year participated in the transit ad pilot project which was launched to complement the mural completed by the students of the SVGCC and other mainstream media that the ministry uses (radio, tv and print). The taxis depicted striking scenery such as the iconic image of the Tobago Cays, the national bird, diving, culture and waterfalls.

Signage

In an effort to further strengthen the tourism industry, the Ministry in 2005 implemented a National Signage Programme, comprised of Village, Directional and Interpretational Signs. This Programme was very successful. However many of these signs deteriorated and were in need of restoration and in some cases replacement, especially those on the Windward side of the island, which are mostly exposed to the sea blast.

The project was therefore designed to restore many of these affected signs and in some cases a total replacement of the existing ones. The project also added ten (10) new village signs.

Vincy Friendly

The Vincy Friendly workbook and video were produced with funding from the European Union and launched officially on the 20th June, 2013.

The educational tool provides tourism material specific to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. The tool covers topics from what is tourism, who is a tourist, who is a visitor to taking care of the environment.

The tool consists of one (1) workbook and two (2) video modules to accompany the workbook. Student’s ages 8-11 years are expected to use the Vincy Friendly tourism education tool and it is envisaged that this will serve as a good foundation for further tourism education at the secondary level.

Tourism Mural

Through the Marketing Sub-committee of the Cruise Tourism Task Force, has undertaken a mural project in collaboration with lecturer Ms. Vonnie Roudette and her team of art students of the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Community College.

The Mural depicts various tourism sites and attractions in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, on the side of the Massy Supermarket building facing the street. It is envisioned that the mural serves as an attraction aimed at enhancing visitor experience and uplifting the scenery in the Upper Bay Street area.

Eastern Caribbean Marine Managed Areas Network

The German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety (BMUB) awarded a grant of 4 million EURO for a project titled “Eastern Caribbean Marine Managed Areas Network” (ECMMAN) to be implemented by The Nature Conservancy (TNC).

The project is being implemented across the six (6) OECS countries, namely: St. Kitts and Nevis, Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Saint Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada. Locally the project held under the theme “This is who we are: our marine life, it’s a beautiful thing”, was launched in 2013 and will run until 2017.

All six (6) participating countries received seed funding of US$10,000 to design and implement individual country campaigns and competed regionally for additional resources (which includes cash prizes) to assist in further implementation of campaign activities after the initial six (6) months campaign.

Issues project seeks to address:

• Unsustainable use of resources.
• Pollution.
• Lack of awareness of the value of marine resources.

Goals:

• Goal 1: Connect with schools, stakeholders, hoteliers with the marine resources and their values.
• Goal 2: Protect and conserve our marine areas by encouraging positive actions and attitudes through sustainable use
• Goal 2: Raise awareness levels on the importance of the marine protected areas and their benefits to our people.

OAS Craft Enhancement and Business Planning Training to Support Human Capacity-building in the Public and Private Sectors

The objective of the project is to strengthen the productive capacity of producers to increase diversity and improve on the quality of crafts in Grenada, Dominica and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. To this end several target groups were identified to obtain training that would enhance their skills in the craft and souvenir trade; namely vendors who ply their trade at the local markets, cruise terminal and galleries around the city and tourism community groups. It is envisioned that this level of training in the fields of product development, design, marketing, environment and business management will enable these artisans to become more sophisticated in their trade; and thus be more globally competitive by meeting or even surpassing the expectations of visitors and locals alike. In addition, the training will allow artisans to become more marketable for the export market through training in branding authentic local craft and knowledge on intellectual property rights.