When St Vincent and the Grenadines’ new international airport opens in October 2015, the tourism authority hopes it will welcome direct flights from the UK.
“It’s a game-changer for us,” said St Vincent and the Grenadines Tourism Authority (SVGTA) chief executive, Glen Beache.
“Currently the largest plane we can accommodate is a 50-seater. A direct flight would allow us to work with airlines and tour operators in a way we haven’t been able to before.”
Beache hopes that a direct flight would make it not only quicker and easier to reach the islands, but also cheaper, eliminating tax costs in Barbados and the price of Caribbean carrier LIAT Airlines’ fares.
Beache continued: “We know we will have to support airlines – how much we don’t know – but we will offer a much greater level of support for the first player in the market. We hope to make announcements about new flights in March or April.”
However, the SVGTA is keen to keep a lid on tourist numbers in order to maintain quality and an authentic, uncrowded experience.
“Our room stock is at 2,100,” said Beache. “I’d like it to grow, but I wouldn’t want more than 4,000 rooms. I would say there’s room for two more large hotels, and we’re hoping to make an announcement on investment in room stock for next winter.”
The latest hotel to open in the islands is Pink Sands Club, an ultra-luxury boutique property that replaces the former Raffles hotel on Canouan.
To maintain standards across the Islands tourism product, the SVGTA is awarding quality certification to taxi drivers, car rental companies and tour operators working on the ground, and is about to start incognito inspections of hotels in order to rate them by international standards. The ratings will be published on the SVGTA website.