Grenada touts high quality food, tourist attractions at event

Grenada, West Indies is taking part in the China Beijing International Fair for Trade in Services for the third time, in the hope of drawing more people to invest in the country and its products.

Grenada, an island country in the southeastern Caribbean Sea, consists of the island of Grenada and six smaller islands.

"Covering 344 square kilometers, Grenada is not a large country, but it has plenty of quality goods and investment opportunities," said Denis G. Antoine, ambassador of Grenada to China.

"But they are unfortunately less well known" than similar items from other countries, he said. "Therefore, we see CIFTIS as a significant platform to present Grenada to more people.

"Grenada abounds in spice, cocoa, rum and chocolate. They all enjoy high quality. Unfortunately, few people know this and few import these goods from Grenada.

"To decrease its trade deficits, Grenada is willing to bring these high-quality foods to CIFTIS and seek more trade opportunities," Antoine added.

Tourism is another pillar industry of Grenada and has developed the sector steadily with the government's strong support, according to the ambassador.

"Grenada has world-class beaches, cultural heritage and many fabulous festivals, such as the annual chocolate festival and the great carnival, which is celebrated during the whole of August every year.

"With an extremely low crime rate, Grenada is rated as one of the safest countries in the world. It's an ideal destination for people who are pursuing a peaceful living," Antoine said.

To stimulate its tourism, Grenada has implemented a visa-free policy for Chinese tourists since 2013, according to the ambassador.

At CIFTIS, Grenada is offering displays of its resorts to attendees, further promoting Grenada's tourism resources.

In addition, Grenada is introducing its investment climate and opportunities at the event.

"Since its independence in 1974, Grenada elects the president for a five-year term of office. The stable government benefits foreign investment in Grenada," the ambassador said.

He added that Grenada welcomes environmentally friendly investment, such as crop farming, service industry, education, food processing and aquaculture.

"To perfect its tourism services, Grenada is talking with China's airlines to open new routes, connecting China and the Caribbean region directly. And we are anticipating that CIFTIS will offer more cooperation options for us," Antoine said.

As for the food processing industry, the ambassador said that Grenada is just capable of producing the raw materials and primary processing of the food. To increase the added value of its food, Grenada would welcome China's food processing enterprises to invest in the country, he added.

"Grenada has the best medical school in the Western Hemisphere - the medical school of St. George's University, which passed the accreditation of the Ministry of Education of China last year," he said.

"We hope we can have more cooperation in education with China and more Chinese students can come to study in Grenada," the ambassador said.

To encourage foreign investment in the country, Grenada unveiled its incentive policies.

For instance, investors with favorable backgrounds and certain investment funds are entitled to get Grenadian citizenship, according to the ambassador.

(China Daily 05/30/2018 page24)