Taiwan President says St. Kitts and Nevis has great tourism potential, Agro-Tourism Demonstration Farm to be completed next year

President of the Republic of China (Taiwan), His Excellency Dr. Ma Ying-jeou ( second from the right) and St. Kitts and Nevis’ Prime Minister the Rt. Hon. Dr. Denzil Douglas (third from the right) get briefing on the Agro-Tourism Demonstration Farm

The Tourist Center and Tea House under construction

A floral decoration in the Green House

A section of the fruit trees

BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS, AUGUST 20TH 2013 (CUOPM) – President of the Republic of China (Taiwan), His Excellency Ma Ying-jeou says the twin-island Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis has great potential as a leading tourism destination.

“I can see that this great country has great tourism potential, especially since Ambassador Tsao mentioned that the travellers can take the (St. Kitts Scenic Railway) train from the Robert L. Bradshaw International Airport and it would be a very fast way for tourists to come here and enjoy the beautiful scenery here,” said President Ma, before touring the Taiwan-funded facility still under construction at Sir Gilles.

He told Prime Minister Douglas, Minister of Tourism, Sen. the Hon. Richard Skerritt and other local and visiting officials that in Taiwan, tourist’s farms have become very popular “because people cannot only watch the process of agriculture, but they can also bring about tourism values.”

“I believe that we should also promote this idea here,” said President Ma, who noted interesting similarities between St. Kitts and Nevis and Taiwan.

“Our two countries both have sugar cane, tropical trees and medicinal herbs. If we can promote the research and tourism values of all these aspects, I believe that our two countries can work together to promote cultural and tourism values together so as to attract more tourists,” he pointed out.

President Ma noted that the project started from January last year and many important sections have been completed.

The Green House is completed and the Tourist Service Center, the Tea House as well as the Interpretation Center and the Botanical Garden are under construction. 20 solar street lights to promote the use of green energy have also been installed.

“All these would be expected to be completed next year and then all the hardware and software will be in place,” said President Ma.

He said that the completion of the Agro-Tourism Demonstration Farm symbolises the friendship between St. Kitts and Nevis and the Republic of China (Taiwan) and called upon the ROC Ministry of Foreign Affairs and ROC Embassy in St. Kitts “to finish this project as soon as possible so that this Green House will continue to shine on the land of St. Christopher and Nevis.”

“This also symbolises an important milestone in the cooperation of our two nations. I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere appreciation to the Prime Minister the Rt. Hon. Dr. Denzil L. Douglas and the Cabinet officials who are present today,” President Ma concluded.