Grenada, the financial crisis and tourism

During this time of financial crisis smaller states need to work hard to find new ways of attracting foreign capital. CBC recently hosted a lunch for the PM of Grenada, Hon. Tillman Thomas; I was interested to hear how he plans to tackle this problem in his own county.

With the reduced numbers of people travelling for the traditional holiday, countries that rely on tourism for a large percentage of their income need to broaden there appeal and try to attract different visitors in addition to the traditional holiday maker. The Prime Minister described how his country was diversifying into, Eco Tourism and Health Tourism. He also talked of making the country self sufficient in terms of Agriculture – he wants the majority of what tourists consume to be produced locally, there should much fewer agricultural products imported for tourists.

I was also glad to hear the Prime Minister talk so passionately about a home grown chocolate bar that has now found a market in Europe.