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Great future for coconut water as sports drink?
The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has applied for a patent on a new process that allows manufacturers to bottle coconut water without having to pasteurize it - thus making it possible to retain its taste as well as its salts, sugars and vitamins. Thanks to this new process, coconut water could become a serious contender on the world's US$1,000 million market for 'sports beverages'. The Voice reports this (courtesy of The Grenadian Voice). Coconut water is "a natural isotonic beverage, with the same level of electrolytic balance as we have in our blood. It's the fluid of life, so to speak", says Morton Satin, the man who invented the new process ("in about five minutes"). This process involves cold sterilisation by micro filtration. By filtering coconut water through a medium such as porcelain or a polyacrylic gel, it is possible to retain all the micro-organisms and spores in the water, while rendering the permeated liquid commercially sterile.
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Hotels 'almost crippled' by crime, water shortage
Increasing crime against visitors, acute water shortages in hotels, rodent infestation and a number of other problems which are said to "have almost crippled the operations of large and small hotels alike" this year, were discussed during a special closed session last Monday, where representatives of the St. Lucia Hotel and Tourism Association (SLHTA) met with prime minister Dr. Kenny Anthony, Tourism minister Menissa Rambally, permanent secretary in the PM's office Bernard la Corbiniere, managing director of WASCO John Joseph, and Police Commissioner Francis Nelson.
Hoteliers reportedly "bombarded" a "visibly overwhelmed" prime minister with complaints about a lack of action by his government, and in particular the ministry of Tourism. The PM was reportedly "seriously taken aback" and off to "a shaky start" but nevertheless, the four-and-a-half hour meeting was described as "a big step forward" for the island's tourism industry - which is supposed to take over from the ever-declining agricultural sector in sustaining the economy. According to The Star, SLHTA president Berthia Parle summed it up as follows: "We feel that finally we might be on the right road to making things happen after the frustration of telling government officials about our concerns and then hearing no more. We believe that the prime minister is keen to see things happen, he just has to convince the rest of his Cabinet and make them aware of the importance of the tourist industry".
Hoteliers expressed their grave concerns about the apparently increasing incidence of harassment and crime against tourists, and proposed two means to better deal with this. First of all, SLHTA president Parle urged that legislation on harassment be updated and strengthened, so that police has a better idea of what constitutes harassment, and can better enforce (existing) legislation. Secondly, urged Parle, government must make good on its promise to set up a 'Night Court' which can deal specifically with offences against visitors who normally leave the island within a few days or, at the most, weeks of an incident. The SLHTA president also calls for special training of police officers to sensitise them to the seriousness and nature of tourist harassment. According to The Voice, Parle noted that "crimes against visitors are usually committed by a small corps of people, who in most instances are known to the police and members of the community, yet for some reason, these persons are not arrested". The Star adds to this Parle's comment: "We are sick of hearing about a fundamental lack of enforcement of the law and it is time the police took these concerns seriously and did something".
Only last week, a local hotelier shattered the silence with which (violent) crime against tourists is usually shrouded, following the robbing at gunpoint of two of his guests. "Keeping quiet about these crimes seems to give the criminals the message that crimes like this are okay because they are not subject to intense police or public attentions", said this hotelier in The Star. "This has got to stop. It's time for St. Lucia to choose whether it wants tourists who spend all of their time in resorts behind chainlink fences, playing in the sand and enjoying only the resort restaurants, or if we want tourists who feel comfortable exploring and getting out into the local communities to the benefit of local businesses".
Another issue for hoteliers at last Monday's meeting with the prime minister and others, was the continuing acute water shortage in the North of the island. According to The Voice, Parle said "it has reached the stage where hotels in the North have had to give guests refunds or return trips to compensate for acute water shortages and the discomfort that comes with it. She said that some hotels have had guests who have checked out because of this situation". The Star reports that the PM assured the hoteliers that a US$9 million dedicated pipeline for the North is expected to be completed by October of next year, and that a booster pump is being installed to help increase the rate of flow. This, however, constitutes only a "marginal improvement", writes The Star. Hoteliers asked for duty free concessions on water tanks and related storage equipment. They also demanded that the Water and Sewerage Company (WASCO) dedicate a special member of staff to dealing with the hotel sector, and that the introduction of desalination plants be further investigated - "a proposal which has met with much resistance from WASCO", according to The Star.
Three follow-up meetings have been planned for later this month between hoteliers, government officials, the police and WASCO.
Incidentally, Micah George in the Thursday Voice rekindles a debate started some months ago by former prime minister Sir John Compton [search news archives] about the legality of WASCO's authority to charge customers at all. According to the reporter, WASCO does not yet have a license under what is known as the Water & Sewage Act, no.13 of 1999, which it requires in order to be allowed to charge its customers. According to George, WASCO - which has been in operation since last year and which increased its water rates by 100 percent on 1st January 2000 - is currently in the process of obtaining this prerequisite license. Moreover, the reporter maintains that the license which is currently being "put together has been backdated to July 15, 1999".
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Harding wins case: state found guilty of torture
The state of St. Lucia was found guilty on two separate counts of torture earlier this week for having allowed prison authorities to mechanically restrain Barbadian prisoner Alfred Harding with shackles around his ankles for a continuous period of ten months and fifteen days. Harding was awarded $25,000 in damages plus costs. Observers are speculating that the verdict may cause a series of abuse cases to be brought before the courts by prison inmates.
Harding (47) who is currently serving an eight-year sentence for possession of an illegal firearm and ammunition, had brought the case against Attorney General Petrus Compton and Superintendent of Prisons Victor Pierre. He was represented by human rights lawyer Martinus Francois. Harding and Francois had asked for damages amounting to $500,000.
According to The Star and The Mirror, Madam Justice Indira Hariprashad-Charles ruled that the "shackling of [Harding] for an extended period of ten months and fifteen days, including while he slept and ate, without the order of the Visiting Justices was brutal and a severe assault on the person and psyche of the applicant. Mercifully, it was only the intervention of his counsel that led to the permanent removal of the shackles. This is a clear breach of the Prison Rules. It amounted to a form of torture. The occasional shackling of the applicant whenever he visits the bathroom or is visited by his legal advisor is also a violation of the Prison Rules. ... The solitary confinement of the applicant for ten months and fifteen days is also a breach of the Prison rules and is a form of torture, inhuman and degrading punishment. .... Even if there were good reason to confine a prisoner to a cell, he must be allowed reasonable access to exercise and sunlight".
Lawyer Martinus Francois, in a reaction to the verdict, appeared pleased with the ruling but he called the amount awarded in damages "preposterous" and announced his intention to take the matter to the Court of Appeal. The Thursday Voice reports this.
Attorney General Petrus Compton, in a response quoted in The Mirror and The Star, said he considered the judge's verdict "fair to all involved" but in the same breath, seemingly excused the decision to have Harding continuously shackled. Compton is quoted in both newspapers: "The Prison Superintendent did what he thought was right, it was a judgement call. It was not constitutional or legal. But there was no doubt in the minds of prison authorities that given the condition of the prison and the convict's reputation as an escape artist, once left unchained, he will escape very shortly".
Harding has been consistently dubbed an 'escape artist' by prison authorities, the minister for Legal Affairs, the Attorney General and others, and various stories about his previous criminal and escape record have been circulated (although no substantial proof has been provided). Harding himself claims he escaped only once from prison, in 1983, and that he subsequently won the High Court case. "I have no convictions for escaping prison", claims Harding in The Star.
This week, former Attorney-General Lorraine Williams, along with former magistrate Nigel Toussaint and talkshow host Rick Wayne during last Thursday's DBS show Talk! agreed that Harding had been deliberately 'demonized' by the authorities.
It appears that Harding will remain in St. Lucia to serve the remainder of his sentence. Although he is wanted for questioning in connection with the (non-fatal) shooting of a man in Barbados (who is currently serving twelve years in jail), St. Lucia's Attorney-General appears reluctant to deport Alfred Harding. "You cannot have persons coming into one's country, committing a crime and simply being deported to be a free person not having paid for the crime", Compton is quoted in the midweek edition of The Star. Some weeks ago, prime minister Dr. Kenny Anthony publicly wondered why Harding had not been immediately deported following his arrest [search news archives].
Public opinion remains divided on the Harding case. Although many appear to feel that no man should be placed in shackles in this day and age, there are those who sympathise with the prison authorities' fear for his escape. The matter of monetary compensation is more contentious, especially considering the fact that, as Micah George writes in The Voice: "This $25,000 will be coming from the public taxpayers' money. Those monies will not be coming from the pockets of government ministers". George deems it "an embarrassment" that the government has placed the people of St. Lucia in such a situation. "Of the 16 Labour candidates the people elected to govern, five are legal minds. Another legal mind, Petrus Compton was hired by the Labour Government to run a Ministry yet it appears that not one of them saw the consequences of Harding being chained".
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Lorraine Williams ready to lead UWP
Lorraine Williams, former minister of Women's Affairs and Attorney-General, has declared herself ready to challenge Dr. Vaughan Lewis for the leadership of the United Workers Party (UWP). 'Shape up or be shipped out' is how The Voice describes Williams' message to the UWP's current leadership, which has been widely criticised for not providing sufficient opposition to the current St. Lucia Labour Party administration. Although Williams hinted at being willing to engage once more in active politics when she was a guest on DBS' talkshow 'Talk!', last Thursday, she reportedly told The Voice in no uncertain terms that she intends to take up the gauntlet. "Yes, I will challenge Dr. Lewis for the position of the party", Williams is quoted. "I have not yet addressed my mind as to how I will issue that challenge. However I suspect that one will have to go through the party to do that".
During Talk!, on Thursday night, Mrs. Williams had this to say: "I am not an executive member of the [United Workers] Party. I'm just a supporter. And there's nothing to support!"
Although not presently active in politics, Lorraine Williams maintains a high public profile by regularly commenting on current events on TV and in newspapers. She is a practising lawyer and a local and international leader of the Business and Professional Women's Organization.
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Noisy evangelists refuse to budge
The Castries City Council (CCC) is putting pressure on evangelists Dr. Vaughan and Jennifer Brown to fold up their tent and leave the King George V Park ('the Gardens') in the heart of Castries, where they have been holding a crusade since the 2nd of June. The religious crusade, whose duration has already once been prolonged, has come under heavy criticism from neighbouring residents [see last week's news]. A banner reading 'Pastor V. Brown and wife - Con Artists - Get The Hell Out - Too Much Noise' has been displayed from an apartment in the CDC buildings and a formal complaint was made to the CCC, a week before the crusader's tenancy was due to run out on July 30th. Residents complain about the loud noise caused by the crusade, every morning at 6:00 am and during evenings from 6:30 onwards.
But according to this week's Crusader, there is as yet no sign that 'Power, Praise and Deliverance Ministries International' - the official name of the company - is packing up. Moreover, the evangelists' tent manager, Steve Whitney, apparently claims that his group has received permission to remain. The CCC, however, as the authority in charge, says it has not received a written request to that effect. But although the CCC has notified 'Power, Praise and Deliverance' personnel through a policeman that they are now illegally on public property, the crusaders have not yet budged.
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Pigeon Island handed (back) to St. Lucians
Although there continues to be doubt in the minds of some as to whether it was ever totally in foreign hands to begin with, there can no longer be any doubt now that Pigeon Island has been officially handed back to the people of St. Lucia. During a special ceremony on the Pigeon Island lawn, on Emancipation Day last Tuesday 1st of August, governor-general Dame Pearlette Louisy, prime minister Dr. Kenny Anthony, ministers of government, members of the National Trust and specially invited guests witnessed the signing of two legal documents which transferred the 44-acre national landmark and the land just outside the park, from the Colonial Life Insurance Company (CLICO) of Trinidad & Tobago and the Commonwealth Development Corporation (CDC) respectively, to St. Lucia. For years, Pigeon Island has been leased to the St. Lucia National Trust, which manages it as a national landmark, for the token sum of one dollar per year.
PM Anthony, in his speech, called the transfer an event of historical significance. "There is a vast difference between a lease and a deed. There is a world of social difference between a landlord and a tenant. ... Today we tear the lease and sign the deed. Today Pigeon Island changes status from private property put aside for public use to public property reserved in perpetuity". The Crusader quotes this. The Star further quotes the PM: "Every St. Lucian must ultimately own a piece of his or her country".
Dr. Anthony expressed his "profound appreciation" to CLICO and the CDC, saying they had both acted "with the highest degree of social responsibility and corporate goodwill", writes The Star. Special mention was made also of the people who, back in the q1970s and '80s, initiated what is now the Pigeon Island National Landmark, thereby saving the area from upmarket residential or touristic development: Robert Devaux, Maria Grech, Julian Hunte, Patricia Charles, the late Gabriel Coco Charles, and members of the Archaeological and Historical Society.
Former Prime Minister Sir John Compton has consistently denied that Pigeon Island was ever sold to a foreign company [search news archives] and according to the editor of the Thursday Voice, the dispute has not yet been satisfactorily laid to rest. "And on Tuesday, we got it back... or did we? Did we ever not have it?" asks the editor. He urges both parties involved in the dispute to show members of the media the relevant documents involving the alleged sale or non-sale and "to clearly indicate to us what did - and what is - going on. Otherwise, the country's business, with which we have entrusted you, becomes a subject of rum-shop debate, speculation, doubt, division along political lines and roro. And surely, you both want to avoid that".
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Toussaint kept off bench, lawyers brought in
Lawyers Peter Foster, Michael Gordon, Jennifer Remy, Mootoo and Cynthia Combie are once again acting as temporary magistrates to help solve the severe backlog of cases that plague St. Lucia's courts. This is reported in the midweek Star. For some time now, the island has had to make do with just four magistrates, instead of the required eight, resulting in cases being adjourned for months or even years, and prisoners remaining on remand for the same periods of time, without having been convicted. Over the past three weeks, there have been several incidents of unrest at the prison as a result of prisoners' - and prison officials' - mounting frustration with the flaws in the judicial system. Minister for Legal Affairs Velon John, has consistently maintained that the problem will soon be solved.
The system where practising laywers act as temporary magistrates was introduced last year, and at the time, came under heavy debate because of the potential conflicts of interests it might cause.
Simultaneously, it was revealed on DBS' talkshow Talk! with Rick Wayne last Thursday, that magistrate Nigel Toussaint's contract has not been renewed by the ministry of Legal Affairs. According to Toussaint, who called in to the programme (identifying herself by name), she has not been given any reasons why her contract was not renewed, despite having asked the relevant authorities. An audibly agitated Toussaint lamented the fact that because of the silence surrounding the termination of her services as a magistrate, it must now seem to the public that she has done something wrong.
Toussaint came under criticism in late May following her dismissal of a $4.5 million marijuana case after prosecutors failed on at least two occasions to secure the services of a drug analyst [search news archives]. As a guest on Talk! three weeks later, Toussaint explained that according to the law, suspects must be tried as soon as possible, and that it is the duty of the government to make efficient prosecution possible. This, she explained, includes having access to the services of an analyst if so required. In drug cases, an analyst is always required to testify that the substances presented are indeed what the prosecutor claims them to be. Nevertheless, Toussaint was criticised at the time by police officers, government officials and members of the public for her strict application of the law. Whether or not that has anything to do with the fact that Toussaint's contract has not been renewed as per 1st of August - despite the desperate lack of magistrates on the island - is still unclear. Rick Wayne, last Thursday, urged the authorities to provide clarity on the issue. Nigel Toussaint, for her part, simply maintained: "I did my job and that's the bottom line. I did my job. If they didn't want me to do my job, they should have taken someone straight out of school who'd do what they want them to do".
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11th Jamboree moderate success despite theft
The 11th Caribbean Jamboree which came to an end last Thursday in Vieux Fort and which brought to St. Lucia some four hundred scouts from all over the Caribbean and further afield, has been a moderate success. So writes The Mirror in its Southern Section. Although the meeting served to "bond" the participants more closely together in the spirit of scouting, scouting leaders claimed that practical arrangements were not quite up to scratch. Furthermore, the Jamaican contingent was robbed of some of their personal belongings, including clothes, badges and two gas tanks. Regular patrols of the camp site along the St. Jude's Highway by the Vieux Fort police "never happened", claims deputy camp chief Franklin Dieudonne, and during the first day, there was no pipeborne water or electricity at the site. Finally, the Martiniquan group had to move their tents to the Vieux Fort Secondary School grounds after their campsite became waterlogged after some rain.
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HUDC housing project launched in Vieux Fort
The Hewanorra Orchard Housing Project was officially opened last Wednesday, making available 122 lots of land, 50 of them with homes, to low- and middle-income households under a mobilization programme aimed at increasing housing investments and improved settlements. The Mirror reports this. The programme is a cooperative effort between the Housing and Urban Development Corporation (HUDC), the government and the Mortgage and Finance Company. A two-bedroom timber house is estimated to cost $50,000, while a three-bedroom masonry house will come to about $92,000. At the same time, low-income households will be able to acquire an average sized lot of 4,000 square feet at a mere $4 per sq.ft. Prime minister and district representative Dr. Kenny Anthony announced that he hopes that "sometime soon it will be possible to introduce a 100 percent mortgage for the country's workers".
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SLASPA $1.7m overdraft guaranteed by government
The St. Lucia Air and Sea Ports Authority (SLASPA) has received a promise from the House of Assembly that it will guarantee an overdraft of $1,730,000 for SLASPA, from the Bank of Nova Scotia. The Mirror reveals this. According to the paper, prime minister Dr. Anthony assured the members of the House that SLASPA "had assured him that it needed the guarantee for three months only". The PM further explained that SLASPA requires the overdraft because it is in the process of "reorganising its financial commitments", and needs to meet its semi-annual loan obligation to the French financial institution, Agence Francaise de Developpement. The Mirror continues: "SLASPA, according to Dr Anthony, was engaged in major capital expansion, including a project to extend the tourist shopping facility, La Place Carenage, on lower Jeremie Street to the site of the old Art Printery. The lower end of Jeremie Street, the Prime Minister disclosed, would be transformed into shopping facilities, particularly for cruise ship passengers. M&C would be constructing a new tourist facility there in premises that they occupy next to the Cox building presently under construction".
In the same issue of The Mirror, however, a Vernon Poleon writes to the editor under the heading 'Rescue St. Lucia'. Poleon claims: "Forget all the hype from the Government Ministers and the bluff from the spin doctors who cannot spin a coin, the fact that at the last House of Assembly meeting, the Government had to introduce a motion guaranteeing a loan to the St. Lucia Air and Sea Ports Authority, once one of the most financially-sound Statutory bodies on the island, speaks volumes of the deteriorating situation in the country at this time". None of the other papers report on the SLASPA overdraft guarantee.
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Government keeps pensionable age at 60 for now
The House of Assembly has decided to maintain the age at which persons become eligible for a pension from the National Insurance Scheme (NIS) at sixty for the time being - but with the clear understanding that this will have to be moved up to 65 in the near future. The House came to its decision in order to give the NIS a little more time to sensitise workers on the necessity for this change. Research recently showed that there continues to be serious misconceptions among the public about some of the NIS' rules and regulations, in particular the changes it intends to make with respect to pension plans [search news archives], despite intensive media campaigns in the past year and a half. It is necessary to raise the pensionable age from 60 to 65, to keep the NIS fund stable now that in St. Lucia, as elsewhere, average life expectancy proves to be on the rise. George Odlum, during last week's session, reportedly proposed "an increase in productivity" to help keep NIS' funds in viable condition in the future also, as well as "the establishment of a sub-regional pension fund to extend the pool of available money. He argued that the widening of the pool of available money would lessen the risks of the fund drying up, despite the statistical increase in life expectancy", writes The Mirror. According to Odlum, the Canadian government would be willing to do a feasibility study on such a regional health scheme.
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St. Lucia sends quality contingent to CARIFESTA
St. Lucia will be represented at CARIFESTA VII, the regional Caribbean Festival which is being held in St. Kitts and Nevis from 17th till 26th of August, by a 35-member team. This is reported in The Mirror. Milton Branford, who heads the St. Lucia delegation, reports that "We have a pretty good broad-based contingent covering such areas as dance, storytelling and the visual arts". John Robert Lee will serve as a panelist at the symposium, a dance choreographed by Christine Samuel will be performed, and Travis Weeks (director) and George 'Fish' Alphonse (actor) will bring a one-man storytelling production called 'By the Rivers of Babylon'. Also, Kendal Hippolyte will be directing Roddy Walcott's play 'Malfini', with a youthful cast, while Michael Aubertin is scheduled to read from his new novel 'Neg Maron' [see last week's news].
Over 30 countries are participating in CARIFESTA, which is expected to bring about ten spectacular days of Caribbean culture, arts, craft, music, poetry and cuisine.
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DBS anonymously urged to stop Rick Wayne's Talk!
The owners of Daher Broadcasting Service - better known as the television station DBS - received an anonymous letter last week in which they were urged to terminate Rick Wayne's talkshow 'Talk!' According to an article in the midweek Star, written by Rick Wayne, the letter (which is marked 'Confidential') reads as follows: "Please be advised that Rick Wayne is using DBS as a political platform with the sole purpose at [sic] destabilizing with a view of weakening the government and the Labour Party in the fort coming [sic] general elections. Mr Wayne intends to prepare himself as an opposing candidate and is, as a result, reducing DBS to an opposition medium to satisfy his own ends at the detriment of the television station. ... It would be prudent of you to review your arrangement with Rick Wayne and put an immediate stop to his centure. For no matter what, Rick Wayne is obsessed with his agenda to destabilize the government and, consequently, state power must be used to protect government".
On Thursday's edition of Talk!, Wayne reiterated an earlier statement to the effect that he has no intention whatsoever of running for public office.
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'Fairest Isle' beautiful illustration of St. Lucia
"Beautiful illustrations and engaging text", illustrating the natural and cultural richness of St. Lucia. That is how the latest publication on St. Lucia, 'Fairest Isle', is being described in The Mirror. 'Fairest Isle' is the brainchild of local marine biologist Sarah George, who is said to have given "life to her own impressions and experiences by portraying some of the best characteristics of the island". The book is hand-illustrated and printed on artist-quality paper. 'Fairest Isle' is available in bookstores and giftshops islandwide.
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Youth Council participates in AIDS film contest
The National Youth Council (NYC) is taking part in a film contest organised by the Youth Information Centre of Martinique which focuses on the topic of HIV/AIDS. A local NYC participant will be chosen during a preliminary script writing contest to be held in St. Lucia between 9th August and the 30th of September. This youthful representative will then be sent to the actual contest, which is held in Martinique between 28th October and 4th November. Twelve young people from the French Overseas Regions and the English-speaking Caribbean will be competing to write the best filmscript on HIV/AIDS. This should result in a movie which will be produced for World AIDS Day on December 1st. For more info, contact John Victorin at 452-2626. Both The Mirror and Star report this.
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Mental Health Association formed
A group of concerned citizens has formed a Mental Health Association (MHA) and intends to formally launch the organisation in October of this year. The rationale for this, according to an article in the Thursday Voice, is the fact that "Historically, the primary focus on mental health services in St. Lucia has been the treatment of the chronically and acutely mentally ill at the Golden Hope Hospital. However, the fact is that serious mental illness represents but one issue in a variety of legitimate mental health concerns in our society today. We are all faced with increasing demands and stresses in our daily lives with the increase in violence, drug use and the apparent emotional detachment with which we live. Statistics report that an unprecedented one in every five persons need mental health care in their lives. We are also painfully aware of the limited resources available with which to address these issues". According to the press release, the MHA intends, in the long run, to develop culturally sensitive and innovative direct service programs to complement existing programmes, including job-training and placement for people with mental health problems who are ready to return to the workforce; rehabilitation and residential services for the homeless mentally ill to encourage their return to productive life in the community; educational and support groups; case management services for children and adolescents with emotional problems; a 24-hour help line, and the facilitation of self-help and other community-based projects. The MHA will be a non-profit, non-governmental, voluntary organisation. It intends to derive its funding from support of individual members, grants, public fund raising activities, and through charges for some of its services. The Thursday Voice is the only paper to report on this initiative.
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Canadian women sent to prison for three years
Two female Canadian students who were arrested when trying to board an Air Canada flight to Toronto recently, were found guilty on Monday of being in possession of six and seven kilos of cocaine each. They were fined $60,000 each or sentenced to three years in prison if they do not pay. According to The Star, "After their court appearance, the two Canadian women were escorted to Her Majesty's Female Prison to begin their sentences".
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BWIA forms alliance with United Airlines
British West Indies Airways (BWIA) is going to work more closely with United Airlines of the USA. According to The Voice, the agreement "will expand United's presence in the Caribbean by providing its customers with services to Antigua, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago", as well as with "convenient one-stop check-in service". Starting on the 9th of September, members of United's Mileage Plus frequent flyer program can accrue and redeem frequent flyer miles on BWIA-operated flights as well. According to the president of BWIA, Conrad Aleong, the new bilateral alliance "between the world's largest airline and BWIA will definitely bring tourism growth to the Eastern Caribbean and enhance value to Caribbean travellers".
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