The point has been made that keeping Anguilla clean is one of the important ways in which the island can ensure that the Zika virus becomes non-existent in the community.
The statement has come from the Parliamentary Secretary, Tourism, Mr. Cardigan Connor, just back from a major Caribbean Tourism Organisation conference in New York.
Connor, an ardent advocate for a clean and healthy environment, not only in his West End/Long Bay constituency, but throughout Anguilla, spoke about a regional matter which came up at the CTO meeting.
“Speaking to a number of people in New York, especially repeat guests who had been to Anguilla, and listening the television, the Zika issue is still something out there we have to do something about,” he told The Anguillian. “We can pretend here that it is has gone away but you will find that there are still warnings on television to visitors about going to an area where there is the Zika virus – so the red flags are still up.
“I think Anguilla falls in that category. We have to do something about it because when people travel they are looking for a place that is safe, has a friendly environment and is very clean. We have the ability to make Anguilla one of the safest, friendliest and cleanest islands if not in the Caribbean, in the world for that matter. Even if there are issues in Europe or Asia, travellers still want a place to visit where they would be otherwise safe.”
Mr. Connor continued: “One of the things that I would like to see happen, and what we are doing in my area in West End, is to keep Anguilla clean. I have written to FLOW and DIGICEL to ask about cameras. We need to have speed and security cameras on the poles that can identify people who are littering the roads and side-walks; and people who are driving trucks without tarpaulins causing mess along the side of the roads. These are some of the things that we in West End are quite happy to be the forerunners of in our district, and hope that the other districts will do the same.
“I appeal to the general public to understand that it is not just those visitors of child-bearing age that are afraid to come to the Caribbean region, or Anguilla, but also those who are seniors. In fact, I spoke to a couple who have been coming to Anguilla for a number of years and the Zika issue is one of the reasons they have decided not to come back until they feel it is a safe zone.
“These are some of the things I have taken from New York. As a region, we are doing well in the sense that we are safer than Europe right now – whether it is Britain, France, Belgium or Asia. But it is up to us to keep it that way. Tourism is what keeps us going. As a region, we have invested a great deal in tourism in recent times. In the past, we used the sugar cane industry and bananas as trade, now all the islands are into tourism; and it is important for us in Anguilla, as much as we say we are one Caribbean, it is up to us to promote and advertise ourselves that there are choices and that Anguilla is a number one choice.”
