Premier and Minister of Finance Joseph Farrell said he is impressed with the investment by private sector developers to increase the island’s accommodation stock.
Last Wednesday, the premier accompanied by Deputy Premier Dr. Samuel Joseph, Minister of Agriculture Crenston Buffonge, Minister of Health and Education, Charles Kirnon and the Parliamentary Secretary, Veronica Dorsette Hector, supported by senior technicians from the Ministry of Finance toured the island assessing developments in various industries. They visited the newly constructed BBC Complex in Brades and spoke with the owner and contract Barry Chalmers. They also visited large homes under construction in Lookout, Geralds, Lime Kiln, Garibaldi Hill, among others.
According to a government press release, a “key aim of the field visit was to gain a deeper understanding of the visitor/tourism/commercial accommodation landscape directly from stakeholders within the industry. Several established and potential accommodation sites were visited, and members of the government were able to speak directly with operators in the industry. The discussion and feedback will be utilised to further focus and enhance Montserrat’s tourism and accommodation policies.”
Premier Farrell told Discover Montserrat that “it was a wonderful experience seeing firsthand the level of investment geared towards the hospitality sector. Some have received assistance from the government in the form of duty-free concessions.”
The tour also included visits to various mining operations in the southern part of the island. Discussions were held with operators, including Nigel Osborne to discuss the issues directly impacting current and future operations. This provided a greater understanding of the current status and potential of the industry to better shape any potential policy interventions in the industry,” the release explained.
“In terms of sand mining, they too have invested significantly in the industry, of course, with GOM assistance. We are encouraging them to form a Co-op to allow the government to streamline duty concessions,” the premier added.
Following the successful tour, officials plan to conduct similar field visits to other areas of strategic importance to Montserrat’s future development.
