NIA CHARLESTOWN NEVIS (May 13, 2021) – – Twenty potential and existing business owners have successfully completed a two-day Small Business Entrepreneurship Workshop organized by the Ministry of Tourism in the Nevis Island Administration (NIA).

The workshop, one of the activities for Exposition Nevis 2021, targeted persons already operating or interested in starting small and medium sized enterprises. The training sessions focused on the theme “Fostering Domestic Tourism – Making Tourism Work for Me.”

Premier Hon. Mark Brantley, Minister of Tourism in the NIA, presented certificates to the participants at the closing ceremony on May 12, 2021. He encouraged the entrepreneurs to tap into the domestic market to generate revenue for their businesses.

“The idea really is to equip ourselves and to understand that there is money to be made in the local economy as well so that it’s not all about depending on the person coming off American Airlines or whichever flight they come off, and that’s important, but there’s also money to be made if you have a service or product that you can offer to our local people as well.

“So far I believe Nevis has done fairly well. We have, as you might have seen, done a lot of promotions where we’re talking about staycations… Our hotels have come onboard. Our restaurants have come on board. Our water taxi operators have come one board and we see on many long weekends the place is flooded over here because lots and lots of our sisters and brothers from St. Kitts come over.

“That is not by accident. That is by design. That is because we have been actively promoting this idea of domestic tourism. So in a very real way it has already started to work; it is already bearing fruit,” he said.

Mr. Brantley said he is glad the training was of value to the entrepreneurs and wished them every success in their respective business endeavours.

“I’m asking you please not to sit down on what you’ve learnt, but to take it back to your businesses and to ensure that we keep the idea of domestic tourism alive, but also we provide the very best quality service and products to all of our guests, whether they be domestic or foreign,” he said.

Over the two days of training the participants learned about the characteristics of a good business, requirements for setting up a business, destination awareness, sourcing financing, marketing strategies, customer service and professionalism, and COVID-19 awareness and protocols.

The presenters included Mrs. Tresia Daniel; Mrs. Nadine Carty-Caines; Mr. Greg Phillip; and Mr. John Hanley, Permanent Secretary in the NIA’s Ministry of Tourism. Ms. Nicole Liburd, Product Development Officer in the Ministry of Tourism, facilitated the sessions.