Above: Grenada (CJ Photo)

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Grenada will have to produce more original products and create more attractions to grab a greater share of regional tourism, according to Tourism Minister Alexandra Otway-Noel.

The Minister, who was addressing an OECS meeting on economic integration and trade in Grenada last week, said community tourism “must be a feature” of Grenada’s tourism push.

“We have a lot to share and we must make sure that we package it properly, so that we can share it. We also need to look at commercializing some of these things better, so that the villages can earn some income while entertaining these guests,” she said.

Visitors today are looking for “indigenous experiences,” she said, pointing to attractions like Grenada’s Fish Friday, the Carriacou Maroon and String Band Festival and others.

Otway-Noel was renewing a call made by former Tourism Minister George Vincent, who said last year that Grenada had been seeing a reduction in spending because “we are not sufficiently emphasizing our uniqueness.”

“We believe that the community is really ready and willing to put on community activities for our local benefit, that we invite the visitor to take part in, so we are building that and inviting the visitor to come and share with us what we do,” Vincent told Caribbean Journal last year.