The World Bank is assisting Saint.Lucia and two other Caribbean Islands in implementing a Tourism Competitive Programme within the sub-region.

Also receiving assistance are Grenada and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

The three islands are collaborating with the Washington-based financial institution in implementing the programme intended to lay the foundation to improve the competitiveness of the tourism sector in the nine-member OECS region through a number of factors.

They include increasing tourism spending at selected pilot programme locations in each of the participating countries.

The initiative also calls for establishing a strategic approach to tourism development; facilitating the movement of people among participating islands, using existing ferry systems; and supporting better quality of services in the tourism sector.

The programme will finance physical infrastructure including the improvement/ rehabilitation of the historic site of Grenada’s Fort George among other projects.

A prerequisite for obtaining funding for the project is the preparation of an Environmental and Social Management Framework in accordance with the World Bank’s Policy guidelines on Environmental and Social Safeguards, as well as local laws and procedures.

“This Framework will then guide the project management team during project implementation to ensure that all environmental and social concerns are adequately addressed,” a World Bank statement noted.