ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL MANAGEMENT PLAN (ESMP) FOR CANARIES MARKET

The Ministry of Tourism, Information and Broadcasting, Culture and Creative Industries is currently implementing the OECS Regional Tourism and Competitiveness Project (ORTCP), a six-year tourism development project, which commenced in August 2017. The Project is funded by the World Bank as a regional initiative that is concurrently being implemented in Grenada and St Vincent and the Grenadines by their respective national governments. The original objectives of the Project were to: (i) facilitate the movement of tourists within the participating countries using ferries; (ii) improve selected touristic sites; and (iii) strengthen implementation capacity for regional tourism market development in the participating countries. Those three Project Development Objectives constitute the three main Project Components. However, the ORTCP has been restructured to achieve the ultimate aim, to improve selected tourism sites and strengthen capacity to contribute to the recovery from Covid-19. For this reason, the Ministry of Tourism in close collaboration with the Office of the Prime Minister has strategically identified some key sites for enhancement, with a view to enhancing the competitiveness and sustainability of Saint Lucia’s tourism sector. The development of community-based tourism in the village of Canaries is among several initiatives planned which closely align with the underlying premise of the 2020 Saint Lucia Tourism Strategy (developed under the ORTCP) which focuses on balancing visitor value and diversifying the product towards a more appealing stayover prospect. Moreover, it is envisaged that this initiative will contribute significantly to boosting the resilience of the tourism sector, as the Ministry prepares for the resurgence ofthis vital sector. And it is against this backdrop, that the Canaries Market was identified as a potential project.

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