Shallow wants James to say if he paid to be declared ‘Tourism Minister of the Year’

Minister of Tourism and MP for North Leeward, Kishore Shallow, is calling on Carlos James, his predecessor in both roles, to say whether he paid to have the “Tourism Minister of the Year” Award bestowed on him.

Shallow asked the question in Parliament on Tuesday as he debated the 2026 budget, saying that two weeks after he came to office, he asked to pay $50,000 to be declared the “Tourism Minister of the Year” last March.

On March 5, 2025, James, then the NP for North Leeward and minister of tourism under the Unity Labour Party administration and was announced as the “Tourism Minister of the Year”.

The announcement of the award was made to attendees at the ITB (Internationale Tourismus Börse) Berlin, one of the world’s largest tourism trade fairs during the Pacific Area Travel Writers Association (PATWA) International Travel Awards 2025 in Berlin, Germany.

In 2020, James won the North Leeward seat by a single vote after a contentious recount. However, constituents rejected him at the end of his first turn, handing Shallow, a first-time candidate, a 530-vote victory over James.

Debating the EC$1.9 fiscal package presented a day earlier by Prime Minister Godwin Friday, Shallow said that during the Estimates Debate a week earlier, James had said that the tourism budget remained unchanged.

“He clearly was inattentive, as his leader said, they need to,” Shallow said, adding that James should follow the common advice to “peep in your own bowl”.

The tourism minister said the opposition senator had missed the fact that about EC$3 million more has been allocated to the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Tourism Authority.

“And so, yes, there’s some similarity, and I explained that earlier in my presentation, rightfully so, few weeks in office, and we trust the public servants,” Shallow said, referring to the time between when the NDP came to office on Nov. 27 and the presentation of the budget.

“But even if we maintain the same budget — and we could put this simply, somebody could have $100, you could have $100 I have 100 and I stretch mine because I manage it prudently,” Shallow said, adding that the “significant difference” is that the NDP government understands putting people’s needs first.

“We understand prioritising our limited resources. And so, what you would never, ever see is this Minister of Tourism or any member of this government buying or spending our money on awards,” Shallow said.

“I’ll give an example…. Two weeks in office, my government email just set up, I received an email offering me the award of best new minister,” Shallow said to laughter from his colleagues.

“Madam Speaker, this is not a joke,” the tourism minister said. “I could show you the email.

“I was offered best new minister on the block, and I was sent a nice invoice. I couldn’t believe it. I won’t say who I got it from, but needless to say, I rejected this. I wrote them back and thanked them for their kind gesture, but I told them that I believe in earning things on merit.”

Shallow said he would not squander the people’s money “to purchase an award for myself.

“No! This was over $50,000, the invoice; ridiculous. It includes travelling to all across the globe to collect — you have to collect it too,” he siad, referring to the award that was on offer.

“You have to collect it. And you gotta take photos…. So, imagine over $50,000 being spent on me collecting a trophy, ‘Best New Minister’. That money could be used to fix two jetties in North Leeward.”

James was not present as Shallow spoke, with Senator Keisel Peters being the only of the three opposition members present.

“Should the honourable senator — not the one who is present here, the other one — Should the honourable Senator rise to reply to this budget at any point, at any time, the people of this country expect him to clarify whether or not taxpayers’ money was used to pay for any personal awards,” Shallow said.

“I want them to answer us. If is no, is no. Maybe he didn’t get the email,” the North Leeward MP said.

The press release last year announcing that James had received the award said that PATWA, an affiliate member of UN Tourism, is professional international media organisation dedicated to supporting the sustainable growth of global travel, tourism, and hospitality industries.

Since 1999, the PATWA International Travel Awards Council has celebrated outstanding achievements in these sectors at its annual awards ceremony held during ITB Berling tourism trade fair.

“The PATWA International Travel Awards are among the most coveted in the industry, celebrating destinations, governments, brands, and individuals that have demonstrated excellence in tourism development,” a Ministry of Tourism press release said.

“Nominees undergo rigorous evaluation based on pre-set parameters to ensure only the highest standards of excellence are acknowledged,” the release said.

It further stated that the award recognises St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ global leadership in sustainable tourism and environmental sustainability.

Meanwhile, the release quoted James as saying it was “truly an honour” to be recognised by PATWA for SVG’s commitment to sustainable tourism.

“This award is a testament to our dedication to preserving our nation’s natural beauty while fostering economic growth through responsible tourism. St. Vincent and the Grenadines remains committed to setting high standards for sustainability, ensuring that our tourism industry benefits both our people and our environment,” James said then.