Eight vendors were presented with the keys to their new booths at the Maracas Beach Facility by Tourism Minister Randall Mitchell on Wednesday, July 25, 2018.
These vendors had previously been displaced from locations in the facility’s car park to facilitate ongoing upgrades.
In addition to congratulating the vendors, Minister Mitchell thanked them for their patience throughout the process, noting that they had continued to operate in less than optimal conditions. Minister Mitchell gave the assurance that ongoing construction works were being done to achieve the intended end goal. He added that Cabinet had taken a decision to waive the vendors’ rental fees until September 2018.
Expressing excitement to see this day, Minister Mitchell noted that Maracas Beach is regarded as the home of the “Trini famous bake and shark,” and these new booths will provide the vendors with enhanced opportunities to conduct their businesses in improved and spacious surroundings. Noting the commitment of the Ministry of Tourism to the vendors, Minister Mitchell asked that they continue to work with the Ministry to achieve the shared goal of establishing Maracas Beach as a premiere tourist destination, the gem of the North Coast, of which all can be proud.
In the first phase of the Maracas Beach Facility Improvement Project (MBFIP), road works, car park and related civil works were executed by the Programme for Upgrading Roads Efficiency (PURE) Division of the Ministry of Works and Transport. Currently, the car park and newly-constructed washroom facility are both managed by NIPDEC.
The eight (8) vending booths handed over are among eighteen (18) completed thus far. The keys to the ten (10) remaining booths will be distributed subsequently.
Minister Mitchell indicated to the vendors that he will meet with Project Manager (NIDCO) to discuss the future phases of the MBFIP, which will see more booths being made available to the other vendors at the beach.
The vendors receiving keys for their booths were Asha’s, Patsy’s, Richard’s, Uncle Sam’s, Natalie’s, Mom’s, and Ster-lyn’s Designer Jewelry.