Minister of Tourism Carlos James says the government is looking at how it can facilitate vending on Salt Whistle Bay during the upcoming cruise tourism season.
Many of the structures used by islanders to vend on the beach were damaged during the passage of Hurricane Beryl on July 1.
Then, the remaining structures were dismantled and removed by a private individual, who is said to have been acting on behalf of the landowners.
Salt Whistle Bay and the activities there are vital to the economy of the 1.5 sq. miles island that is home to about 300 people.
Fielding questions at a press conference on Wednesday, James said he was made aware during a visit to Mayreau in July that there was “some structural damage to some of the informal settlements in terms of tourism operators on the bay itself.
“We intend to work closely with the Tobago Cays Marine Park as well as National Parks, Rivers and Beaches Authority to see how we can facilitate and support some of these vendors who normally ply their trade on Salt Whistle Bay,” James said.
The tourism minister said he believes that these vendors traditionally had their businesses or the buildings on private property.
“And, of course, that has to come into the mix in terms of dialogue and see how we can build back better and more resilient and to see how we could work in facilitating the people of Mayreau,” James said.
“Historically and traditionally, Mayreau is a community where a lot of the people there are dependent on tourism, and we intend to give a lot of support to the people and particularly the vendors with it — Tobago Cays Marine Park, as well as the vendors on Salt Whistle Bay and that is one of the things that we’re looking to work along with them.”
Asked whether the vendors would be able to sell on Salt Whistle Bay this cruise season, James said:
“We are hoping that we can facilitate them, and if it means that we will have to go in and assist with getting some of the structures up, even at the high-water mark, which is one of the things which I’ve raised to see how we can facilitate them. That is something that we’re hoping to get on.”
Also on Wednesday, James told the media that SVG is expecting a record 378 cruise calls this season.
It is the third consecutive cruise season that the destination is forecast to see a higher number of calls, year on year.
SVG recorded 376 calls for the 2023-2024 season and 311 calls in the 2022-2023 season.
The first call will be at Mayreau on Oct. 21, as the Southern Grenadines is projected to see a 50% increase in calls.
There will be 110 cruise calls at Port Kingstown this season. Bequia also goes into triple digits — 104. Union Island would see 45 calls, Mayreau, 55, Tobago Cays, 50, and Canouan 14 — up from five last year.
If the minister truly believes, “that these vendors traditionally had their businesses or the buildings on private property” then he is sorely mistaken. Let us all remember that our beaches are not private property, nor, in my understanding, is the land within the Queen’s/King’s Chain of the high water mark. I understand the Queen’s Chain to be 20 meters or some 65 feet. I believe all the authentic, charming structures built by vendors on Salt Whistle Bay (excepting of course that row of cookie-cutter structures erected on behalf of Grace Eustace further back from the water) are within the strip that is not privately owned.