by MARIA BRADSHAW

THE MINISTRY OF TOURISM
is reporting success in both
the Home Accommodation Programme and the Small Hotels Refurbishment Scheme,
designed to provide more rooms
for Cricket World Cup 2007.

Minister of Tourism Noel Lynch yesterday revealed the amount
of money disbursed for the two projects during debate in the
House of Assembly on the Immigration and Customs (Amendment) Bill 2007, stating that both had met
the projected targets.

In terms of the Home Accommodation Programme,
he said that at December 31, 2006, Fund Access had approved a total
of 52 loans for $2.47 million
to provide 156 rooms.

Explaining that the initial amount was $5 million, he said
that Barbados now had a pool
of about 500 rooms participating
in the programme.

Lynch added that the Small Hotels Refurbishment Scheme
had been a resounding success.

"The demand for the funds has outstripped the availability of
the supply of available funds,"
he emphasised.

He said that the Enterprise Growth Fund had reported that as of November 30, 2006, the small hotel refurbishment scheme was working with
19 hotels to refurbish 382 existing rooms and to create 202 new rooms at a proposed cost of $39.8 million.

So far the fund had committed $26.2 million to 14 hotels
to refurbish 316 existing rooms
and to build 151 new rooms, while it had disbursed $8.4 million to nine hotels for the refurbishment
of 176 existing rooms and to create 104 new rooms.

Lynch announced that about
320 rooms financed by the small hotels refurbishment project would
be ready for occupancy by the start of World Cup.

He said that during World Cup, an estimated 15 cruise ships would dock at the Bridgetown Port, while on April 28 – the day of the final – there would be 14 in port.

He stated that between April 1 and 28, 135 238 cruise ship visitors were expected to arrive
in Barbados. (MB)