Chin Lee was at the Marriott Courtyard, Port of Spain, where he addressed the opening ceremony of the Eighth Edition of the Caribbean Media Exchange Conference organised by the Ministry of Tourism in conjunction with Counterpart International.

Chin Lee, who earlier delivered an address, sought to lay to rest the concerns of one participant at the conference who enquired about what would be done to improve the airline service to ensure there is no problem with people securing flights during Cricket World Cup 2007.

He stayed clear of commenting specifically on the troubled BWIA airline, saying it "did not fall within my portfolio", but assured that Government would be moving to improve the airlift service "...and I am certain by 2007 all would be in place to ensure the particular airlifts are provided to satisfy the demands of WorldCup 2007".

In his address, Chin Lee said the event presented an opportunity "for us to prove to the world that we are more than just sun, sea and sand... It also presents us with an opportunity to share our rich and diverse cultures and inspiring and beautiful natural heritage that defines our islands with the rest of the world".

Chin Lee said "a total of US$250 million will be spent to build new stadia across the Caribbean in preparation for the games, with regional governments contributing US$180 million towards the construction".

Chin Lee also spoke of a new 400-room hotel and conference centre to be built at the Waterfront, Port of Spain, to be completed by 2007.

Participants at the conference, which was held mainly to discuss the Caribbean region's hosting of the Cricket World Cup and the links between the media, sports and tourism, included Chris Dehring, managing director and CEO of ICC Cricket World Cup West Indies 2007 Inc.

By: Trinidadexpress