| The Anguilla Hotel and Tourism Association (AHTA) and the Anguilla Tourist Board (ATB) climaxed their joint celebration of Tourism Week 2011 with the Annual Gala Dinner and Awards Ceremony at Coba Restaurant at Viceroy on Thursday, December 1. The event brought together a large number of industry partners in the public and private sectors, sponsors and other persons. |
Vice President of AHTA, Delroy Lake, who chaired the proceedings, and gave the welcome, stressed the importance of tourism which, he pointed out, was a key factor in the development of the economy. He said everyone had an important role to play in safeguarding the industry and contributing to its success.
The presentation of the awards was preceded by two addresses from Governor Alistair Harrison and Parliamentary Secretary, Tourism, Haydn Hughes; and interspersed by announcements of various prizes won by a number of ticket holders.
The Governor spoke about the need for all persons and services to team up to provide the necessary support for the tourism industry, and to facilitate the arrival and stay of visitors on the island. He disclosed that the Anguilla Government and the Port Authority were currently having discussions with outside consultants on a plan to improve access by sea. He said the British Government would do everything to facilitate the plan once it was agreed, and hoped that the talks would soon bear fruit.
The Governor said the recently-drawn and approved Sustainable Tourism Master Plan, paid for by his office, was good news for Anguilla. He paid tribute to Jasmin Garraway and her team and the Consultants from Ireland. He said it was an ambitious but attainable plan with a target growth of 7.5% for tourism over the next ten years. “The plan makes clear that, at that rate of growth, the hotel and villa rooms already on the island, and the ones already in train, will be sufficient,” he stated. “We don’t need any more hotel rooms until 2021 on that growth target which, as I say, is ambitious but attaimnable.”
Mr. Harrison was pleased that the latest news provided by William Tacon, Liquidator for Cap Juluca, to Executive Council was that the hotel now had enough working capital to keep it open into the main tourist season and beyond. He also noted that this financial position should give the resort sufficient time for restructuring to assure its long-term future. Governor Harrison also said that EXCO should soon conclude a MoU with Mr. Rizzuto to re-launch the golf course which he said was in great shape for the new season. He paid particular tribute to Gary Thulander and his team at Cap Juluca who kept the golf course open for two years on a shoestring budget. Parliamentary Secretary, Haydn Hughes, laid much stress for marketing funds to further promote and develop the industry and for increasing attention to be paid to the development of human resources. “We have talked for many years about under-study programmes here in Anguilla,” he observed. “We have bright young Anguillians who want to aspire to become General Managers of hotels, but who don’t get the opportunity to do so…because when they go for interviews they are told they are too qualified.” Mr. Hughes stated there was “a need for every individual in Anguilla to understand the importance of tourism – from the porter to the ferryboat operator, the taxi-driver, customs and immigration.” He emphasised: “In order for us to rise we have to grow our way. People will always have the need for travel so we need to invest more dollars to let people know that there is a place called Anguilla, so that they can come to the island, invest their money and keep the engine [of growth] running.” |
