Construction of international airport starts on St Vincent

Work on the much anticipated international airport for the Caribbean island of St Vincent has started along with a promise from the government that it will open on time in 2011.

It comes amid calls for a regional airline to be set up as there are concerns that cuts in flights from big players like American Airlines could affect visitor numbers.

St Vincent and the Grenadines, a string of 32 islands, have suffered from being in the shadow of other richer Caribbean neighbours such as Barbados and Antigua. But now with a new government and investment in infrastructure such as the new $178 million international airport, real estate agents are describing it as an emerging investment market.

'Confirmation of the construction of the new international airport on St Vincent is the final piece in the jigsaw, in what has been a whirlwind rise to international awareness. Once an isolated chain of islands, St Vincent and the Grenadines are now one of the most talked about emerging markets,' said Dave Ames of Harlequin Property.

St Vincent and the Grenadines used to be known for its banana plantations but has experienced a dramatic change of fortunes in recent years, with investors realising that this prime development land which is just 30 minutes flying time from Barbados and only 20 minutes from St Lucia offers extraordinary value for money.

'With a keen eye on tourism and the obvious financial rewards that are associated with increasing numbers of visitors the international airport will help springboard St Vincent and the Grenadines into a new era of prosperity, which shrewd international investors will also benefit from,' added Mr Ames.

And tourism officials are aware that they need to attract more visitors to keep up the interest from investors. Glen Beache, St Vincent and the Grenadines Tourism Minister, has called on Caribbean governments to invest in a regional airline instead of subsidising international airlines.

He believes that LIAT, Air Jamaica and Caribbean Airlines could prosper with the right. 'As fuel costs rise foreign airlines are pulling out and leaving us in the lurch. We have to take the money and pump it into our own airlines,' he said.