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| Mrs. Ena C. Harvey |
CHARLESTOWN NEVIS (JULY 7, 2005) Nevis has established itself as a leader in Agro-Heritage Tourism linkages, so says Mrs. Ena C. Harvey, the International Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) Representative from Barbados.
She said Nevis had achieved this feat by preserving and upgrading facilities on the island, creating a world-class diverse tourism product while retaining an elegance and Old World charm . Mrs. Harvey made the observation at the recently held annual Tourism Annual Awards and Banquet.
The establishment of the Fothergills Heritage Village in February 2003, the development of a plantation yard museum at the New River Estate, the Sea Island Cotton Ginnery tour and the New River and Coconut Walk Plantation Museums are significant achievements,
I would add, however, that these heritage sites can be improved even further by creating living museums and involving the participation of communities, particularly youths and women as guides for site interpretation, working artisans on site and the like, she said.
In the area of culinary tourism Mrs. Harvey noted that for us in the Caribbean, food represents not only the expression of our culinary skills but the very essence of our Caribbean personality. She said that food permeates our every activity and like the French and Italians, Caribbean people have become very passionate about their food yet have failed to take our cuisine to international levels.
The IICA representative also contends that the Caribbean has not been able to exploit the vast potential for culinary tourism in their rural communities or to create viable agro-industrial opportunities around their signature Caribbean foods.
Notwithstanding, Mrs. Harvey commended Nevis for its annual Culturama and Beef Festival. But what are you doing to commercialise other heritage Nevisian foods such as goat water, cassava bread, sugar based confections which were an essential part of the era of King Sugar sugar cakes, nut cakes, tamarind balls, conserves and preserves?
Mrs. Harvey challenged the authorities on Nevis to add a different dimension to the visitor experience at the Fothergills Heritage Village citing that it would add a different dimension to the visitor experience through participation in the actual traditions of food processing and craft making.
She said it would add more than excitement and entertainment, most importantly it would preserve Nevis heritage and provide commercial opportunities for employment and utilization of indigenous produce and handicraft materials.
Mrs. Harvey also urged the agriculture authority to make maximum use of Nevis mango particularly its hallmark Amory Polly and suggested that a Amory Polly Festival and a national competition to produce winning mango recipes and a celebrity chef taste off featuring everything mango should be held. She said it is critical that Nevis protect the intellectual property and put an indelible stamp on the Amory Polly through the production of a range of branded products.
