 Welcome to Nation Beat. I am Janelle Norville bringing you this brief on the pearls of our nation and highlights around the heart of St. Lucia. St. Lucia captures another global award proving to be the Caribbean's leaning honeymoon destination. More than 120 people have gained valuable skills to secure employment in the tourism hospitality sector and the innovative board game that makes managing businesses easier. St. Lucia has won the award for the Caribbean's Leading Honeymoon Destination at the 26th Annual World Travel Awards in Jamaica. The ceremony was held at the Sanders-Montego Bay on January 28, 2019. St. Lucia has won this award 10 times with the most recent honor in 2018. St. Lucia was also bestowed the title of world's Leading Honeymoon Destination for 2018. A year that saw the island record a 5% increase in honeymoon arrivals over 2017. The St. Lucia Tourism Authority SLTA is positioning the island as a premier luxury destination, applying further concentration to the niches that continue to drive business internationally. Minister for Tourism Honourable Dominic Fede has lauded the efforts of the SLTA in helping secure the award for St. Lucia. The accolade comes as the island records unprecedented success in tourism. 1.2 million visitors came to the island's shores last year, representing a 10.2% increase. Growth in the cruise sector stood at 13.6%, with yachting pulling in an increase of 26.7%. Minister Fede speaking in the House of Assembly Tuesday emphasized the need for the government to take full advantage of emerging opportunities in the cruise tourism sector. To invest in the expansion of birth number one at Point Seraphim, over 91,000 more visitors than the previous year were recorded because of this injection. And, Mr. Speaker, our government continues to advance plans to establish in view for it. Mr. Speaker, very soon we will see the establishment of a world-class facility being able to accommodate the largest ships that are being built right now in the cruise industry. In keeping with the declaration of 2019 as the year of revenue and inclusion, Minister Fede elaborated on the progress made in introducing village tourism. Mr. Speaker, the future demand that we invest in our cruise ports, that we invest in our destination. But, Mr. Speaker, all of this would mean nothing unless we ensure that there is inclusiveness and we ensure we do what is right, Mr. Speaker, to enhance the economic participation of our visitors. Mr. Speaker, as we pursue this quest, Mr. Speaker, to develop tourism, I'm happy to report to this House that we are at a very advanced stage, Mr. Speaker, in establishing the entity called Village Tourism Incorporated. Mr. Speaker, thus far the legislation is at a very advanced stage and we will bring it to the stakeholders very soon for consultation, Mr. Speaker, as we aim to empower our local citizenry to participate at the highest level in the tourism sector. Minister Honourable Dominic Fede. Plans by Invest St. Lucia for a development project at Ants de Saab in Vufort are advancing. Representatives of OBM International, the film selected as the master developer, are on island to hold consultations with various stakeholders including residents of Vufort. Invest St. Lucia is in the process of conceptualizing a master plan for the Ust de Saab area in Vufort as part of the overall redevelopment plan for the south end town. OBMI architecture was chosen from an international bidding process last year as the master developers for the Ust de Saab project. OBMI has designed successful destinations across the Caribbean, Europe, and the Middle East including Capella Resort St. Lucia. The Chief Executive Officer Douglas Colleague explained the method in which OBMI plans to progress the development. We're in that mode at the moment of gathering information so that we can fully understand what all the restrictions are and what all the hopes are and what all the dreams are and what the investment criteria might be. So those are really the things that we hope to accomplish here in the next couple of days and start to get the beginnings of what we think is going to be a comprehensive plan for development over a period of time that it will take to do that. You know, these things don't happen in a day or a night or a week. It takes a little bit of time for them to develop. So having a master plan that sort of addresses the fact that this has to happen somewhat organically, somewhat over time is really important part of the plan. Inves St. Lucia and the OBMI team are scheduled to consult with representatives from the community of Viewfort on the 30th of January 2019 on the proposed plans. During the first round of consultation last December, representatives of the OBMI met with the ISL and other key stakeholders such as the St. Lucia National Trust and the Air and Seaports Authority, Slasper. Roderick Cherry, CEO of Inves St. Lucia, shared the feedback from those talks. One of the main concerns that I think that may have addressed it is that the beach access has to remain as it is as a community beach, not just for Viewfort but for the whole South. You know, it's one of the more popular beaches in the island. So that was one of the concerns that came out very clearly from our initial engagement with various stakeholders. The National Trust indicated that there may be some archaeological significance at some areas there. They informed us that whatever that is found there, during the construction phase, whenever that is, that there could be some kind of museum or some kind of way to preserve anything. Cherry stated that the architectural design for the master plan for SDSAB may be available as early as the first half of 2019, at which time investors will be invited to participate in the implementation of the physical structures for the area. The master plan and development was launched on Tuesday the 29th of January 2019. From the Government Information Service, I am Anisia Antoine reporting. More than 120 young people have gained valuable skills to secure employment in the tourism hospitality sector. They are the first graduates of the Monroe College Administrative and Government-Backed Hospitality Training Institute. 127 students graduated from Monroe College's International Hospitality Training Institute. The institute that is a partnership between the College and the National Apprenticeship Program was launched in October of 2018. Its implementation is geared towards training unemployed youth and preparing residents for entry-level travel and tourism jobs. Students graduated with a variety of certificates from the five programs offered, including bartending, food and beverage, housekeeping, front desk administration and event management. Senior Vice President of Monroe College Dr. Alexi Frame provided a graduate with words of advice. You got the skills necessary. The weapon that is needed to make any plan in your life, in your family's life, in the country's life, you got the skills necessary. And the professors who are whom we have selected, they gave you all the skills necessary. But go and make any question and be part of what you have done. The Government of St. Lucia contributed a stipend of $500 per month to its students to help cover expenses of transportation and food over the course of the training period. Upon completion of the courses, students have then assigned to various businesses on Island for internship and then assisted with finding permanent employment. Coordinator of the National Apprenticeship Program, Dr. Wendy Mosheri, allotted the students for taking the leap of faith. Your presence here is reflective of the value that you are placed on education on a building human capacity, especially in the south of the island. Those of you who are graduating today, you have demonstrated that your dedication and your quest for acquiring skills in preparation for the workplace was greater than the temptation to remain idle and in the cycle of detainees. For the past years, we have always cemented the fact that beyond the reasons I call in negative behaviour, you are one employee, always destructive. But you chose to use this training to get yourselves out of the negative cycle. Applications are now being accepted for the next class term, which begins May 21, 2019. The training institute is open to residents throughout the Caribbean region with priority admission granted to St. Lucia residents. This is Nation Beats, coming up the innovative board game that makes managing businesses easier. We are now at the end of May 21, 2019. We are now at the end of May 21, 2019. Chemicals and GMOs are not the solution. Use organic and join. Excessive agrochemical use, additives and genetically modified foods are harmful to health and the environment. Join the Good Food Revolution. Grow, buy and consume organic. A message from Rye St. Lucia and the Ministry of Sustainable Development with funding from the GEF Small Grants Program, UNDP. The Good Food Revolution. Welcome back. The Small Business Development Centre, SBDC, introduces a financial management board game to make managing your business easier. More in this report from Marvin St. Louis. Micro and small businesses are now being introduced to assimilation exercise in the form of a board game. The game baptised the micro-business game, allows entrepreneurs to face real-life scenarios in the management of their finances in a dynamic and practical way. Roycean Howell is the acting director of SBDC, CEDU. So the game is set out in such a way that the persons managing this business have money, physical cash to handle and they are introduced to the game by understanding the available money and how they would run that business, where the money is transferred to, how it is tracked and ultimately they have to make decisions throughout that game. The essential part of the game is that it allows the development of entrepreneurial skills, especially around accounting and understanding your customers and risk management. These are the three principles of the game. SBDC, CEDU, hopes this exercise will encourage better financial record keeping with micro and small businesses. It was introduced to us through the German savings bank and it really allows persons to experience in a very tangible, a very practical and realistic way the money management component of their business. Normally we have clients come to us at CEDU and they have often difficulty understanding the relevance and the need to keep those records, financial records. We've experienced that throughout. Most people when they go to a bank they have difficulties getting a loan because they do not have the relevant documentation, they do not keep the relevant records. The Small Business Development Center is running monthly sessions of the micro business game and is encouraging persons to register. For further information and registration please contact SBDC, CEDU at the Ministry of Commerce, International Trade, Investment, Enterprise Development and Consumer Affairs. That's nation bid. Join us next time on NTN at 7.30pm with a repeat at 7.30am and on this station as we fill the pulse and heart of our community. You can also catch up with us anytime on the St. Lucia Government Facebook page or YouTube channel. I am Janelle Norvell.