By: Susanne Thevenet

Susanne Thevenet — Tue, 16 May 2017 19:35:00 +0000

During the winter some small cruise ships already visit Sandy Ground for several hours, with their passengers disembarking in the morning and then returning to their cruise ship at day’s end, with the ship leaving before sunset. About a decade ago a German cruise line had a ship visiting Anguilla for the first time. For the ship’s inaugural visit, Belongers “rolled out the red carpet,” souvenir stands were set up, etc. Profits from the day trippers were evidently so dismal that when it came back regularly that winter, none of the “hoopla” reappeared on shore. Cruise ship visitors are quite happy to sun & swim and eat t Sandy Ground or ride a tour bus for an “island tour,” with a stop at Shoal Bay for a swim. These visits will be so short (a few hours) that they will contribute next to nothing to the local economy. Anguilla’s “cachet” for the wealthy tourists who come here is that there are no cruise ships, no crowded beaches, crowded restaurants. We tourists are willing to pay a premium for that. Anguilla has deliberately concentrated its tourism promotion efforts toward the very wealthy, who rent the expensive and extravagent villas, stay in the four five star properties where a week’s stay for ROOM ONLY, lunches & dinners will cost a couple about $10,000, and with airfare, that week’s vacation costs about $14,000, conservatively speaking. I know Belongers wish that more extremely wealthy tourists visited the island, but the wealthy are not interested in vacationing in a place which has crowded beaches, traffic delays on the roads, crowded, expensive restaurants. These wealthy visitors come here one year, and inevitably, they try another island each year, just as they “trade in” their spouses every few years. There are many gorgeous islands in the Pacific with which Anguilla competes for these wealthy visitors. They won’t come AT ALL if Anguilla develops a “honky tonk” tourist product.

By: Tabata Queen

Tabata Queen — Wed, 21 Dec 2016 19:19:00 +0000

If you wreck Anguilla we’ll switch to vacationing Anegada. It just doesn’t seem like the cruise ship kind of place!

By: Ralph Birkhoff

Ralph Birkhoff — Fri, 14 Oct 2016 15:00:00 +0000

I understood that the tourism strategy for Anguilla specifically barred the cruise ship sector, which in our opinion makes it one of the best strategies in the region. Keep Anguilla unique and protect its character!

By: bjbr

bjbr — Mon, 10 Oct 2016 21:14:00 +0000

Hopefully not in our lifetime.

By: TTG

TTG — Wed, 05 Oct 2016 23:14:00 +0000

“This will be the first phase of the Conch Bay Development project which will be part of the overall venture.”
Correction: This will be the first phase of the never-ending quest to turn Anguilla into St. Martin. Gotta line the pockets of those developers and investors somehow!

Comments on: CRUISE SHIP FACILITY, HOTEL ANNOUNCED FOR FOREST BAY

By: Susanne Thevenet

By: Tabata Queen

By: Ralph Birkhoff

By: bjbr

By: TTG