Britain to help Montserrat's ailing tourism industry

Saturday, October 4, 2003

BRADES, Montserrat: The British government has allocated nine million East Caribbean dollars to help boost Montserrat's fragile tourism industry. A government information service release quoted Head of the Montserrat Desk at the UK Department for International Development, Mr. Tim Hatton, as saying that the British government is keen to support the local administration's efforts to promote and develop tourism in Montserrat.

The DFID official said the government is in the process of finalising a detailed proposal in relation to the tourism industry.

"Tourism is a critical factor for the future of Montserrat and there

are very good prospects for the development of tourism on Montserrat," Hatton was quoted as saying.

Prior to 1995's volcanic eruptions, Montserrat received about 21,000 tourist arrivals annually. Traditionally, tourism has been a significant contributor to the economy, representing between 20 percent and 36 percent of the national output.

With the destruction of a considerable portion of the island's natural resource base and infrastructure, coupled with concerns about safety, tourism declined sharply.

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