The Valley, Anguilla —Tuesday, October 28, 2014—Anguilla will observe its annual Tourism Week from November 29th to December 6th, 2014, under the theme, “Sustainable Practices for Significant Growth”.
Highlights of the Week include the Valley Street Festival and Taste of the Islands on November 29th and a Service of Thanksgiving which will be held on Sunday 30th, November at 6:00 am at the Ebenezer Methodist Church in The Valley, followed by the Tourism Breakfast and Opening Ceremony. A number of educational and awareness initiatives are also planned for the week, including Tourism Talks in the Primary Schools and a Tourism Youth Forum featuring the Junior Ministers of Tourism from Anguilla, St Maarten and St. Martin This year, the highly anticipated Tourism Gala and Awards Ceremony hosted by the Anguilla Hotel & Tourism Association will take place on Friday December 5th at Viceroy’s signature restaurant, Coba. The Week of Activities culminates on Saturday December 6th with an Island-wide Clean Up Campaign sponsored by the Anguilla Tourist Board, the Anguilla Hotel & Tourism Association, the Environmental Health Department, the Department of Youth and Culture and the National Youth Council.
According to Director of Tourism, Mrs Candis Niles, Tourism Week has historically been regarded as a time when the tourism and hospitality sectors can officially recognize and celebrate various aspects of tourism which have helped Anguilla to compete in a global leisure market where the stakes are as high as the players are numerous “The importance of tourism to Anguilla’s overall economy, indeed to Anguilla’s overall survival as a nation, cannot be discounted, and Tourism Week provides us with the opportunity to focus on this vital area of our economy. Our theme for this year speaks to the importance of planning not only for the present, but also for the generations of Anguillians to come, who will be looking to this industry as the engine that will continue to drive our economy in the future. As we evaluate the status of Anguilla’s tourism and the strategies that we need to pursue in order to move the industry forward in this volatile global economic environment, our focus must be on stimulating growth and development in the key areas that truly matter: our product; our positioning as a destination; and most importantly, our most precious resource, our people. As we work together for the advancement of our island, only then will we be realizing the vision of our forefathers who stood together against poverty, famine and neglect to ensure the survival of this place that all Anguillians cherish as “The Rock”, and which countless visitors embrace as “Tranquility Wrapped in Blue” It is now in the hands of this generation to reprise its role as guardians of this nation by revitalizing the core values of strength and endurance of our people which, indeed, are at the foundation of sustainability. This is the only way that we can achieve the significant growth that is required for success in this competitive business environment.”
Tourism Week is organized jointly by the Anguilla Tourist Board and the Anguilla Hotel and Tourism Association in conjunction with the Ministry of Tourism. Working in tandem with Anguilla’s local hospitality and tourism sector, and the overseas Market Representatives in the USA, Canada, United Kingdom, Italy, Germany, Puerto Rico and Latin America, Anguilla is promoted as the Caribbean’s premier, exclusive, quality destination experience, offering “Tranquility Wrapped in Blue.”
