Right now, the people of Anguilla are languishing under the strain of a basically impoverished economy and a main reason is that the time has come again for the island’s vital tourism industry to be temporarily shut down in what is called “a slow season”. When the Anguilla Government embarked on its initial tourism policy, in or about 1976, there was one small new hotel on the island. It was Cinnamon Reef Hotel at Little Harbour, owned by a New York family, owners of restaurants and other tourism-related businesses in the United States. Unfortunately, that hotel eventually went out of business. Malliouhana Hotel, owned by an English family, next came. Malliouhana, the Amerindian name for Anguilla, really launched the island into the marketplace under the brand as a Small Hotel of the World. It attracted to its credit and success, raving reviews and accolades, from the travel trade press and travellers everywhere. We are particularly grateful to that hotel. It eventually closed for about two years; then changed ownership and reopened after refurbishment as Malliouhana-Auberge. It is now temporarily closed for the slow season and is reportedly up for sale again.
Cap Juluca also came into being albeit with much tangled and disputed foreign ownership which, for many years, until recently, dogged both its operations and planned expansion. Much to its good name, however, as the flagship of Anguilla’s upmarket tourism industry, as well as to the welfare of the economy and the local job market, Cap Juluca, located on one of the island’s best beaches, has done remarkably well over the years. It has attracted more than its full share of the local market and has provided employment for up to 300-400 persons at any one time. Even with the advent of newer and grandeur hotels to Anguilla, Cap Juluca has maintained its popularity and success. Like all the other hotels on the island – small or big – it is now closed for the “slow season”. Consequently, many hotel employees are out of work for the next two months or so. Further, there is a ripple effect throughout the island in general, and the business community in particular, which has become intimately dependent on the tourism industry as the engine for progress and sustainability.
Since the initial tourism policy in Anguilla, there have been other Government initiatives, with the assistance of consultants, to enhance the island’s niche and performance in the international marketplace. There is now in place a Tourism Master Plan with various well-studied and laid out provisions and policies which, if achieved, should catapult Anguilla among some of the most competitive destinations in the world. There is no doubt that Anguilla has that capability given its many alluring qualities as a destination and its potential for further tourism growth. Tourism remains Anguilla’s number one foreign exchange earner. Despite all of our marketing efforts, our hopes have not yet materialised to see the offshore financial service industry emerge as a second engine of our economy to complement the tourism industry. In this area of development, most of our sister Overseas Territories in the region have left us far behind and there is no hope of catching up with them in the foreseeable future. Another fact is that we have not done well in the manufacturing sector in terms of attracting cottage industries to our island. Some schools of thought have attributed this to the high cost of labour on the island – and there is hardly any dispute about this. Take for example the soaring cost of construction.
As the saying goes, Anguilla has all of its “eggs in one basket.” By nature, climate, and geography, we seem designed to be a tourism destination. What, then, can we do to accentuate that reality and to further preserve and boost our tourism industry? We need to attract more tourists to our lovely island. It appears that adding more upscale accommodation facilities may be beneficial to our tourism plant and product but, as desirable as it is, it may not fully be the answer. It may be a question best answered by discerning experts in the travel field. Whatever the findings, we need to arrive at a quick solution to attract more tourist numbers to Anguilla both in season and out of season.
Despite all the tourism policies we have embarked on, over the years, none has really touched the question of the “slow season”. It appears that closing our hotels and restaurants has become a culture from which we are afraid to break. From high up in the year, as early as April, hoteliers begin thinking about the “break” in operations. That appears to be the end of their marketing and expectations for the season. Naturally, tourists coming to Anguilla – from every corner of the world – and their travel agents, have grown accustomed to that period of closure and are obliged to look at other destinations. The reality is that elsewhere in the Caribbean region, and in the world at large, there is little or no talk about “taking a break” or “slow season”. Travel and accommodation continue normally. Do we have to have a policy change towards that end – or just a cultural change?
The time has come to look at this matter to see if Anguilla is not losing out in this area of tourism and money-making. Right now, the island is virtually closed down. The situation is even worse with the taxes everyone is talking about. Definitely, this period of closure is a season which nobody likes.
