by Linda Straker
- Grenada resumed international flights on 1 October
- UK scheduled to go into lockdown for 1 month as of 5 November
- Grenada Tourism Authority yet to hear how UK lockdown will impact scheduled flights to Grenada
Tourism Minister Clarice Modeste said that the upcoming 4-week lockdown in the United Kingdom will have a negative effect on the island’s tourism industry which began the rebound phase following the resumption of international flights on 1 October 2020.
Grenada went into lockdown in late March as part of measures aimed at controlling and containing the spread of Covid-19 after confirming its first case — a woman travelling from the UK. 5 other people were linked to the first case.
“It is going to affect us. One month without flights is going to seriously impact us,” Modeste said during the post-cabinet weekly news conference on Tuesday, 3 November. The UK is scheduled to go into lockdown for 1 month as of 5 November 2020.
Patricia Maher, Chief Executive Officer of the Grenada Tourism Authority, also shared tourism information at the press conference and said that the Authority is yet to hear how the UK lockdown will impact the scheduled flights to Grenada.
“We were very happy to resume the services with British Airways and Virgin Atlantic Airways coming in twice per week as of the end of October. The UK market is our second largest international source market, so it’s a very critical market for us as well as the connectivity to Europe via London,” she said.
Modeste said that during discussions with the airlines offering the UK service, it was disclosed that the load factor for both airlines was acceptable for the service to continue. “The numbers were looking very encouraging because as you know they will not be flights if the numbers aren’t very good.”
Since resuming the international commercial passengers’ traffic, the Tourism Minister said that a little more than 2,000 passengers have arrived at the Maurice Bishop International Airport (MBIA). The data for October arrivals was not readily available, but she felt that most persons were returning nationals.
Because of Covid-19, there is now a new health entry protocol, which among other things, mandates having a negative PCR test to board flights. After arrival, each passenger undergoes an on-island PCR test while they wait for the result in a quarantine facility.
Health officials have confirmed that 4 arriving passengers were tested positive along with 1 local who had direct contact with one of the arriving PCR-positive individuals. These 5 cases have increased Grenada’s laboratory confirmed Covid-19 cases to 29.
Yet still we hear nothing from our government about diversifying our economy to enable us to better weather such storms.
Yes it was ok when those brainless wankers in Parliament down there made the whole island see hell with they very obnoxious incompetence including the so call coco police,now you are hurting hur??that monkey man said the pandemic came from the UK and America and not China,I was there when the monkey made the comments.so zip it now and tell that fool get his fax right.
My cork is dead, if you think ah lie cork a do cork a die.
How the year will.end is how the next year will begin. What can we do here to make some money. Come on people, any ideas.
We runing on E for 2020.
All over the sudden it hurts the tourism industry?
I didnt hear one bad word between march and september.
I wonder where this leave the two doctor geniuses who spent their entire time in office dancing and doing back-flips to the word, “tourism”.
Its impacting small taxi men in other organazation other than the airport taxi association. Its sad to now that the airport opened and only the airport taxi association is allow to transport passengers from the airport to villas, guest houses and hotels in Grenada. You have so many private tour companies, local taxi, hotel taxi operators that are not making any money, while the food is only going to the airport taxi association and the airpirt authority because theyre paying montly fee to the airport. The airport taxi, private tour companies and other taxi service went through the same training, certified by the GTA and the Health dept. Why do Grenadians sit quiet and allow this coruption to flow in this country. This needs to stop.
Obtain…that seems very unfair to me and its not the only example of selective favouritism being applied to the tourism sector …intentionally or unintentionally I am not sure but if the latter then its lack of thought and negligence instead…
My advice to you would be dont take it silently, make a noise in as many ears as possible…
Obrian… sorry spell checker messed up your name