Minister and Member of Parliament Tevin Andrews has lauded the staging of the Carriacou Corn Festival, declaring that the sister isle is “back” and “open for business” following significant strides in its recovery from Hurricane Beryl.
Andrews expressed deep satisfaction with the strong attendance at this year’s festival, emphasizing that the event delivered a vital financial injection to local businesses across Carriacou and Petite Martinique during a critical post-disaster rebuilding phase. Accommodations across the island—including hotels, guest houses, villas, and private homes—reached full capacity for the event.
“The fact that events like these continue to bring much-needed revenue to businesses in Carriacou and Petite Martinique speaks volumes,” Andrews said, commending the event organizers for their efforts. He added that the island benefited from a bumper agricultural harvest driven by favorable rainfall, supplying an abundance of corn, fruits, and vegetables for diverse culinary offerings. Beyond the festival grounds, visitors patronized local restaurants, toured the underwater sculpture park, swam with turtles, and explored surrounding cays and marine waters.
Andrews affirmed that the government remains committed to supporting and partnering with festival organizers to expand the young initiative. In the long term, he envisions the Corn Festival growing into one of the premier annual cultural gatherings in Carriacou and Petite Martinique.
However, the minister highlighted that limited local lodging remains the primary bottleneck to scaling visitor numbers. Andrews noted that several prospective attendees could not travel due to full bookings, but expressed optimism that upcoming developments—including interest from investors such as True Blue Resort—will expand the island’s hospitality room stock.
Addressing the broader reconstruction effort, Andrews pointed out that Carriacou and Petite Martinique are now nearly 90% recovered, defying early expert projections that predicted a 10-to-15-year recovery timeline after the devastation wrought by Hurricane Beryl.
Over the past two years, government assistance has provided material aid, “build back better” homes, and social development housing to return residents to permanent dwellings, while local commerce and community life have visibly rebounded. Nonetheless, Andrews noted that recovery operations still face ongoing supply chain and labor constraints, specifically noting frequent shortages of critical building materials such as cement, aggregates, sand, and steel.
Detailing the government’s broader infrastructure roadmap, Andrews outlined major connectivity projects designed to position Carriacou as the primary gateway to the Grenadines and the wider Caribbean:
Maritime Access: The Windward jetty has been upgraded from a wooden structure to a concrete drive-on facility to facilitate seamless movement between Carriacou and neighboring Grenadine islands.
Aviation Upgrades: Lauriston’s H.A. Blaize Airport has seen the addition of a meteorological office, an upgraded check-in terminal, and the implementation of night landing capabilities.
Runway Expansion: Following the completion of pending feasibility studies, plans are underway to extend the airport runway by 500 feet seaward toward Paradise Beach and 1,000 feet inland, allowing larger aircraft to operate direct routes connecting Carriacou to hubs such as Trinidad and Barbados.
When asked about suggestions for a physical bridge linking mainland Grenada to Carriacou, Andrews noted that recent polling does not indicate widespread public demand for such a project. While open to exploring future options requested by citizens, Andrews emphasized that the government’s primary focus remains addressing critical community priorities: housing and healthcare.
