This Caribbean Isle Bets On Ports

Hon. Jeanne Rogers-Vanterpool, President of the Office of Tourism of Saint Martin, outlines the vision at Invest Caribbean Now 2015.

News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Tues. Sept. 29, 2015: The French Caribbean island of Saint-Martin is seeking to give its economy a shot in the arm with the expansion of two major port projects in the next few years.

Hon. Jeanne Rogers-Vanterpool, President of the Office of Tourism of Saint Martin, made the disclosure to delegates gathered at the elite invitation only Invest Caribbean Now conference, held on the island from September 24-25th.

The Government of the Collectivité of French Saint-Martin, she said, will be seeking to implement The Marigot Bay Development Project and The Galisbay Port Development Project as its works towards its overall goal – the revitalization of its capital, Marigot.

The Galisbay Commercial Port project will see the expansion of the port as a trans-shipment hub while the Marigot Bay Development Project is aimed to expand the port as a major hub for cruise ship docks and mega yacht marina and the creation of a conference hotel, residences and shops on the water front of Marigot.

Invest Caribbean Now 2015, now in its fifth year, kicked off on September 24th in Terres Basses with an extravagant reception and dinner at Villa Mes Aimes for foreign and local delegates. It continued on Friday, September 25th with the conference at the Chamber of Commerce building in Concordia where the spotlight was put squarely on tourism investment opportunities in the French Caribbean Island. It was the first time ICN had taken its conference overseas.

Delegates at ICN 2015. (ICN image)

The event featured several local government officials including Senator Guillaume Arnell; Hon. Jeanne Rogers-Vanterpool, and Vice-president of Economic Development Wendel Cocks, harbour developers as well as several local stake holders and over three dozen Beijing company executives.

ICN’s Felicia J. Persaud, ICN’s founder and CEO, thanked Saint Martin for welcoming the conference to its shores and urged the government to continue to work on creative “private – public sector partnerships.”

Qin, Guoying, Secretary-General of China Women’s Development Foundation at ICN 2015.

“We must move beyond petty politics and arrogant perceived power and understand that our growth as an island – and as a region – is tied to relationship building globally – whether in the Caribbean Diaspora, the US, China, Europe, Africa or other areas around the world,” Persaud said. “The competitive nature of the global market place demands such action and we cannot be left behind in 2015. We must think global and act global!”

The summit this year made history in the North-East Caribbean with the attendance of a delegation of over 40-Beijing companies and organizations.

Speakers from the Chinese delegation included Qin, Guoying, Secretary-General of China Women’s Development Foundation; Xiong, Yumei, Executive President of the China Women Tourism Committee; Zheng, Yaoxing, Dean Of The Tourism Department, Fujian Normal University And Strait Tourism College; Yin, Zhijun, Chairman, The Beijing Lao She Teahouse Co., Ltd, Guo, LiFeng, CEO, BESTONE Jewelry Company and Li Li,   The Executive Director Of The Sino-American Friendship Association.

Part of the Marina that will be developed in Saint Martin.

The 2015 event was presented by the Government of the Collectivité of French Saint-Martin, The Office of Tourism of Saint-Martin and executives at Invest Caribbean Now (ICN), in collaboration with the Sino-American Friendship Association, the Chinese American Business Development Center of New York, the  St-Martin Harbor, Hard Beat Communications, One Caribbean Television, the St. Maarten Chinese Association, CaribPRWire and News Americas Now.

ABOUT INVEST CARIBBEAN NOW

Invest Caribbean Now (ICN) is the definitive private sector investment agency of the Caribbean. It is based in America’s financial capital of the world, New York City. Now in its fifth year, ICN is the brainchild of Caribbean-born media entrepreneur, Felicia J. Persaud and is owned by Hard Beat Communications, Inc.

Invest Caribbean Now promotes and pushes for the right investment opportunities in the Caribbean region; offers a concierge service for high end investors seeking to make the right connection with key opportunities, governments and other parties in any Caribbean destination and connects small entrepreneurs in the Diaspora with SME micro loans.

For more see investcaribbeannow.com.