It was an emotional moment last Tuesday when Mark Beiser and Christina Curtin revisited UnionIsland and visited the Union Island Tourism Board and other stakeholders.
Mark and Christina nicked named “Tina” are tourists from St Croix who were the victims of an attack onboard their Yacht “Rainbow” at Frigate Rock off the south coast of Union Island on October 3rd 2013. Introducing herself in the room a long scar was visible on Tina’s left cheek as she and other persons broke down in tears.
Chairman of the Board, Lesroy Noel met with persons from the local community with the aim of brainstorming for solutions to several ongoing tourist related problems that is plaguing the Island. Some of the problems high on the agenda were; harassment of tourists in the Clifton commercial area, interception of Yachts in the Clifton Harbour by persons selling soliciting business, rebuilding the image of Union Island and St Vincent and the Grenadines as a whole especially after the recent attack.
It was agreed during the meeting that the tourism product should be protected at all cost since it is the main source of income for the residents. Also agreed was the fact that a strong police presence in the main commercial area will prevent frequent tourist harassment. Also discussed was the need for more tourism education for schools and businesses to convey an understanding of tourism and its related services.
Mark and Tina stated that they are still trying to cope after the attack and there is still a lot of panic and anxiety “we still have difficulty sleeping onboard, we have to lock up our boats now, so we feel that our freedom has been taken away from us as cruisers” Tina stated.
When asked why she came back to Union Island after such a vicious attack Tina stated “ in October when we came most places were closed so we didn’t get to see alot, the island is still beautiful and after the incident we got an outpouring of love from local businesses and residents, we know that the people of Union Island are not bad, we came back to say hello”
She said that she will continue to visit UnionIsland over the coming years. Manager of the Tobago Cays Marine Park, Kenneth Williams extended an invitation to them to visit the Tobago Cays and wavered all fees as a goodwill gesture.
WRITTEN BY STANTON GOMES
First Published by Searchlight Newspaper
