HON. BRENDA HOOD

TEAM EFFORT BY ALL PLAYERS WILL ASSURE THE VISITOR A WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE

Minister for Tourism at the time of preparation of this article, Senator Brenda Hood said one aspect of the Airports Authority’s developmental plan is the improvement of the infrastructure along with the quality of service and also the environment.

This she said explains the spending of millions of dollars over the past few months to refurbish the airport and to make sure that when people come to the airport they feel comfortable.

According to the minister, the arrival and departure areas have been expanded to accommodate a growing capacity at the airport. The various airline offices are now more comfortably outfitted and the baggage area is being expanded. Senator Hood said the shops are improving in terms of the type of products that they sell and therefore the Ministry of Tourism and the Airports Authority see the expansion as part of the whole developmental thrust for civil aviation on the island.

The minister pointed out that as a small nation we have to compete with the rest of the region and the rest of the world and no longer can size be used as an excuse because they are saying that if you are that small then why not be the best?
The mission of the ministry therefore and all the other stakeholders involved in the tourist industry is to try and be professional in all they do and make sure that all the services offered are the best.

VISITORS FOR CWC 2007 WERE TREATED TO A COLOURFUL WELCOME BY MIN. HOOD, CEO GILBERT AND OTHER MEMBERS OF THE PSIA STAFF

To that end, she said she was very impressed and continues to congratulate the staff of PSIA on the level of service that was provided during the period of Cricket World Cup 2007 to the guests that arrived at our destination.

Sen. Hood said this underlines the issue of training as part of the whole development because it is obvious that the airport staff was well trained and this will continue since as with everything else there is always room for improvement.

The minister sees the airport as no longer simply a place where people fly out and come in but where they can have a great experience. This is why they are encouraging other conveniences and facilities like banks, different kinds of shops and even looking at the idea of putting in a playground not too far away so that when families come to see their loved ones off the children can be entertained.

It is still a reality in Grenada she said especially among our rural communities that when a loved one is traveling bus loads and even truck loads of people come to bid them farewell. When these people are waiting for the traveler to depart they should be able to entertain themselves and make the wait more enjoyable.
This will rebound to the benefit of the businesses on the airport, Min. Hood said, the concessionaires etc. will do more business of a result of more people remaining longer at the airport due to the level of service that will be available.
The minister can see the Airport Authority Board being justifiably proud of what is happening at the facility, being part of it, giving directives to the Chief Executive Officer and other management of the authority.

NEWLY EXPANDED TICKETING AREA

She said it is always good when one is part of an organization and can see development going on at a positive pace. It means that their contribution is not going to waste.
She said the people on the board are volunteers who get only a small stipend but no salary for their contribution but still put a lot of time, effort and advice into the running of the facility and they want to make sure that whatever happens at the airport is in the best interest of the country.

Generally Sen. Hood is firm in her belief that visitors’ experience in any destination should be greater than they expected. They would have heard about the place and become impressed with it from a distance and when they do visit their experience should surpass what they anticipated.
She believes this happened in Grenada for cricket world cup, they were blown away in terms of the services, the hospitality and the whole experience that they had in Grenada.
They felt good interrelating with the people of Grenada Carriacou and Petite Martinique she said and from listening to the comments and reading all the e-mails and cards visitors are saying that they are coming back, Grenada is a place where they want to enjoy a vacation.

She said the legacy of Cricket World Cup is what will develop and build this country for the future and although cricket was just for 10 days Grenada is planning for the future with projects such as the development taking place at the airport. Although it was fast forwarded for the cricket, the people who will benefit are those who will be using the facility from now on and getting the experience.

The minister wants to send the message to people to maintain their patriotism and continue to make Grenada beautiful not only for the guests but also for all of us who live here.

She is a strong advocate of beautification, planting flowers along the roadways planting trees and generally keeping Grenada an attractive place.
Mrs. Hood explained that the development of the civil aviation aspect of tourism is a tripartite effort among the Airport Authority, the Ministry of Tourism and the Grenada Board of Tourism who all work in close relationship to ensure that civil aviation is of a very high standard.

She said if everyone does not do what they are supposed to do in terms of the monitoring, execution and making that all the regulations are met the airport can be de-certified and if this happens then major carriers that come to the destination will cease to do so.

The minister continued that the fact that we have been able to meet and maintain the post 9/11 requirements means that we have some very skilled and trained people at the airport with the will and ability to work and we are impressing the rest of the world.

She said it’s all about knowing what is to be done having, the will to do it and doing it and then good results are assured.