Grenada preparing for a new way of doing business in tourism
Training and certification are top priorities
The tri-island destination Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique is preparing for the gradual reopening of its borders in the coming weeks while creating a new way of doing business in the Tourism industry. As work continues, the main areas of focus are the training of tourism personnel and implementing new health and safety standards. Already training is ongoing in the accomodation, transportation and food and beverage sectors under the guidance of the Ministry of Health.
The Grenada Hotel and Tourism Association (GHTA) is a key partner in these activities and the organization held two training sessions for the accommodation sector on the new way of doing business, the latest being on Friday June 5 for accommodation managers, owners and senior staff.
The Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation and the Grenada Tourism Authority (GTA) are also continuously engaging stakeholders in training. Taxi Drivers were trained on June 3 and sessions were held on Friday June 5 for housekeeping staff, maintenance staff, cleaners, laundry, security, porter services and stakeholders in the food and beverage sector facilitated by Environmental Health Officer Deryck Ramkhelawan. All training covers new health and safety protocols while drilling down to each subsector. The training sessions are conducted via Zoom and are recorded and will be distributed, therefore stakeholders will have 24 hour access to training material.
Meantime, the Maurice Bishop International Airport in Grenada and the Lauriston Airport in Carriacou are preparing for the restart of commercial airport traffic in the coming weeks. A high-level delegation led by the Minister of Tourism and Civil Aviation, Hon. Dr. Clarice Modeste-Curwen toured the International Airport to view firsthand its state of readiness for full operations. During the tour, the team viewed the physical distance markers and signage being installed, areas being prepared for additional screening of passengers, the operation of thermal cameras for temperature monitoring and other measures being put in place to allow for the safety of passengers and personnel at the Airport.
While this work is ongoing, the GTA continues to engage travel agents in the source markets through webinars to keep them informed of major updates and what their clients can enjoy when visiting the destination. Additionally, the GTA is preparing to restart domestic tourism by encouraging the accommodation sector to offer specials to locals. Already some stakeholders are offering innovative deals such as the True Blue Bay Resort which offered a special package including a balcony concert.
Pure Grenada, the Spice of the Caribbean is committed to building visitor confidence as the destination finetunes health and safety protocols and certification in the tourism industry.
For further information please visit the Government of Grenada webpage at www.covid19.gov.gd or the Ministry of Health Facebook page at Facebook/HealthGrenada.
