I was chatting yesterday with Petra Roach, chief executive officer of the Grenada Tourism Authority, and mentioned how the island seems to be on the cusp of joining some of the region’s bigger tourism draws.
I wouldn’t say she recoiled in horror, but she did look at me a little funny.
“We really don’t want to be mainstream,” she said with a smile. “We’re what we like to call a boutique product, where you can get up close and personal with the community.
“Grenada is a place where you can actually stop and take stock,” she continued. “You can almost stop and breathe, and a sense of spirituality envelops you.
“We’re never going to be a big party island, and we don’t want to be one.”
If she was trying to get me worked up about a trip, she did a good job. Now I REALLY want to go. I love the bigger islands in the Caribbean, but I also love smaller destinations such as Dominica and St. Vincent, which isn’t far from Grenada.
While they don’t want to be the next Paradise Island, Bahamas, Dominica does have a number of great hotels and resorts to check out, including the new Silver Sands on gorgeous Grand Anse Beach, an independent property with 52 suites and a few three and four-bedroom villas. It also sports the longest pool in the Caribbean, Roach told me.
She also mentioned Spice Island Resort as a five-star, all-inclusive property, as well as the Calabash Luxury Boutique Hotel and La Luna, which she called “sensual” and “exotic.”
As well, the Royalton reopened in November, 2021.
Grand Anse Beach in Grenada. Hugh Whyte/Unsplash Photo
Roach says the culinary scene on Grenada is “second to none,” and that sustainable tourism is “part of everything we do.”
There are no direct flights from Canada right now, but Air Canada will resume service on October 30, with flights planned for Thursdays and Sundays, Roach said.
One clever scheme Grenada has used to boost tourism is to have the diaspora act as influencers, touting the island’s many charms to would-be visitors.
The main island of Grenada has the major resorts, but visitors also can enjoy the Grenadian islands of Petit Martinique and Carriacou, home to Paradise Beach. The latter has been voted best beach in the Caribbean, Roach said.
Grenada also was named one of the best 22 places to go in the world in 2022 by Forbes, and was one of Wanderlust’s top five destinations in the world for this year.
It’s also a very safe island. There is some petty crime, of course, but not much.
Sekou Stroude, the tourism authority’s Director of Sales for Canada, tells the story of when Hurricane Ivan hit the island in 2004. All the prisoners from the island’s main jail escaped, but they went home to help repair their homes. After five days, the government asked them all to return to the prison.
“Every single one of them did,” Stroude said. “That’s a true story.”
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