Mrs. Denyse Ogilvie comes to the ARD with 10 years of experience in community related activities, having worked in the private sector and with non governmental organisations.

On Tuesday (August 5) Mrs. Ogilvie convened a meeting of stakeholders at the ARD Board Room to collaborate on the development of Community Tourism. Participants included representatives from the Grenada Rural Enterprise Project, the United Nations Development Programme, the European Union and the ARD Economic Recovery and Social Recovery Departments

It was agreed that there needs to be greater public awareness to inform citizens about the opportunities at the village level that can be derived from Community Tourism initiatives. It was also agreed that donor agencies need to collaborate more with one another and the ARD on the development of Community Tourism in order to avoid duplication.

While the Community Tourism initiative will be national in scope, the first two parishes to be targeted are St. David and St. Patrick.

“My job is to identify specific communities that show the most likely potential and to help local residents assess their community and develop their product. This could be a water fall, a traditional event, a historic site or even a community activity,” Mrs. Ogilvie explained.

Communities identified in St. David include Vincennes, La Sagesse, Belle Isle, Apres Toute and Maulty Content, while communities in St. Patrick identified include Rose Hill, Mt. Rich, Hermitage, Callaloo, River Sallee and Chantimelle.