St. Vincent and the Grenadines’ tourism officials are working to counter the reputational damage from the mass shooting on Friday, using marketing teams and overseas networks to reassure visitors and investors that the country remains open for business, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Security St. Clair Leacock says.
Leacock said on NICE Radio on Monday that Minister of Tourism Kishore Shallow had already put a “damage control team” in place, led by the CEO of the Tourism Authority, Shafia London, and marketing staff.
Their task, he said, is to reach out to target audiences following what he described as damaging international coverage of the weekend violence.
“We have had some very bad press, very terrible international headlines,” Leacock said on the New Times programme, citing coverage by CNN, the BBC, regional media and social media.
He said the government was concerned that negative attention could deter visitors from coming to the country.
The tourism outreach is intended to reinforce a positive message, Leacock said.
“It’s still a wonderful place to be. It still is your choice destination. By all means, come to St. Vincent, the Grenadines.”
The minister said the economic effects of violence can spread beyond the immediate security response.
“When you do something to national security, it doesn’t end there,” he said, describing tourism as one sector vulnerable to “collateral damage” from the headlines.
Leacock also pointed to efforts by Invest SVG, foreign-service staff and trade representatives at embassies and high commissions.
He said those networks were working to protect the country’s investment profile and continue promoting SVG to overseas businesses.
The government, he argued, faces a delicate task: responding firmly to violence while avoiding messaging that could deepen harm to tourism and investment.
“We have to be careful in our messaging that we continue to promote our country,” he said, adding that officials must also make clear that authorities are acting to address the security situation.
Leacock said the response to the violence would involve coordination across government, not only policing.
He described the tourism campaign and investment outreach as part of a wider effort to limit the consequences of the weekend incidents and sustain confidence in the country.
Four people were killed and four others were injured during a shooting incident in Green Hill, the deadliest such incident in SVG since July 19, 2023, when five people were killed in a shooting in Kingstown.