By MICHAEL BAGINSKI/ Grenada Tourism Authority director of sales Sekou Stroude was holding forth at an event in chilly Toronto last week when he surmised that many of those in the audience might just be wondering, “Why am I here in this cold?”
Indeed. In what seems like a winter that just won’t end, Sekou rubbed in the fact the temperature on his southern Caribbean island at that moment was about 28 degrees C.
As such, he offered, “We are the spice of the Caribbean, people are smiling on every corner!”
For his part, Stroude and his colleagues from the GTA – including CEO Stacey Liburd – were in Canada on a week-long mission to meet the trade and connect in a travel market that Liburd said is extremely important, ranking third behind the U.S. and U.K., and growing.
The island’s success from Canada is in part due to three Air Canada flights weekly and WestJet seasonal service that Liburd hopes to see extended even further.
And she noted the opportunity for the Spice Island to have an even greater presence in the market with Canadians looking for alternatives to U.S. travel.
With this in mind, Liburd said the team spent the entire week in the city ensuring the GTA demonstrates “just how important you are to us” and not just dropping in for a quick event and then gone.
Beyond its wonderful weather, Stroude said Grenada has plenty to offer Canadians, including a host of prominent festivals.
Having just held the successful inaugural Lobster and Lambie festival in January on Carriacou and Petite Martinque – two of the three islands that comprise the destination – Grenada is now readying for its popular Chocolate Festival slated for May 22-27, hosted by the True Blue Bay Boutique Resort.
Themed “Reimagining the Spirit and Tradition of Caribbean Cocoa,” this year’s festival invites visitors from around the world to dive deeper into the island’s rich cocoa heritage, discover cutting-edge cocoa innovations, and embrace the vibrant culture swirling around Grenada’s world-class chocolate industry.
Festivalgoers can expect an engaging mix of events designed for chocolate lovers, cultural explorers, industry professionals, and families alike, ranging from cocoa farm tours & tree-to-bar workshops to chocolate tastings & pairings, culinary experiences, live entertainment and more.
Another new event, the Flower and Garden Festival is on tap for Nov. 8-15, and like everything in Grenada will have a culinary element as well,” with Liburd laughing, “If you love food and plants, check it out.”
Liburd has told Travel Industry Today that Canada has traditionally been a “focussed” market for Grenada, catering to higher net worth individuals, but added, “We see tremendous growth for this market. We see that Canadians travel a little differently to Americans in terms of what they look for… and how we market is a little bit different.”
“I know that Canadians love all-inclusives, because you pay one price and don’t have to think about anything else, but sometimes with the all-inclusives, it hinders you from going out and experiencing a destination that is organic and lends itself to that immersive experience.”
(Ed note: There are limited all-inclusives in Grenada, notable among them Sandals, Royalton, and the Spice Island Beach Resort).
And there is plenty to do in Grenada. At only 33 km long, and encompassing neighbouring Carriacou and Petite Martinique, visitors will find close to 50 beaches, soft adventure activities on-island, and off, ranging from hiking and four-wheel drive excursions to paddle boarding and snorkelling/diving, the latter amongst the world’s best, featuring wrecks, real and artificial reefs, and an underwater sculpture park (with a second that recently opened in Carriacou). And sailing and yachting are ubiquitous (with rental and charters available).
In particular, Liburd encourages visitors to discover the underwater “park,” which she maintains is nothing less than a cultural landmark, where sunken statues tell the story of the island’s history and culture.
And combined with all the fish, “it’s magical,” she enthuses.
She also notes that while tourism is Grenada’s most important industry, spices (such as cinnamon, vanilla, ginger, turmeric, all-spice and nutmeg) are its biggest export (prompting the moniker “The Spice Island”), which helped the island develop a farm-to-table culinary culture “before it was even a thing.”
In conclusion, she added, “We encourage you to go out and try the many different offerings that the island has at its fingertips…. I really want to challenge today’s traveller to go out and experience the destination.”
Stroude reminded that Grenada is situated below the hurricane belt in the Caribbean, making it an ideal year-round destination.
“We’re a small island, but we back a big punch,” he said.
And that, he cracked, is what Grenada is all about – “in nut(meg)shell!”
If you enjoyed or found this story useful, we’d appreciate if you would forward it to a colleague or friend who may also enjoy it. If, on the other hand, a friend shared it with you, welcome! You can get all the latest travel news and reviews from Travel Industry by simply clicking HERE.