The borders of Anguilla are still closed but the Government is actively pursuing plans to reopen the tourism industry gradually, and has been having a series of meetings and press conferences towards that end.
The biggest meeting so far, was on Monday, August 17. That was when more than one hundred hotel and villa operators met with Government officials in the Ministry of Finance Conference Room.
The discussions were led by Premier Dr. Ellis Webster; Minister of Tourism, Mr. Haydn Hughes; Parliamentary Secretary; Mrs. Quincia Gumbs-Marie who has been assigned to implement the phased reopening of the tourism industry; Ms. Andia Ravariere, an official in the Ministry of Tourism; and Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Aisha Andrewin, who is advising the Government and the public on health issues regarding Covid-19.
Of special significance was the application process, starting on Friday, August 21, whereby tourists desirous of visiting Anguilla are required to complete an online application form for approval. The Parliamentary Secretary, Mrs. Gumbs-Marie, explained, however, that technically this did not mean that tourists would be allowed to visit Anguilla right away. This is because there is an urgent need to repatriate some 300 Anguillians, from high-risk countries, who had been waiting to return home since in March. “Realistically speaking, the first tourists could probably get here by mid-September based on our capacities because we can still only handle 200 persons at a time – and we are prioritising Anguillians,” she stressed.
The Parliamentary Secretary told the gathering: “This is an effort that will have costs associated with it. As a result, upon approval of their application, guests will have to pay a cost depending on what category they are in. There are two categories – individual and family. A successfully-approved individual, wishing to stay for up to ninety days, would pay 1,000 US dollars; and a family, 1,500. This will cover the cost of two tests upon arrival – additional costs related to security and surveillance; and the usual administrative and processing fees.
“For persons wishing to stay 91 to 365 days – that is over three to twelve months – the cost would be 2,000 dollars per individual; and 3,000 dollars per family. That will also cover the cost of an extended stay and digital work permits which will allow persons to work remotely in Anguilla for up to 12 months…Once that cost is paid, nobody from Immigration or Labour will be knocking on their door.”
Mrs. Gumbs-Marie continued: “As the Premier said, the borders of Anguilla will still be closed. This soft re-opening is primarily targeted to long-term visitors. What we consider to be a long stay is three to twelve months – but persons who are interested in staying from zero to 3 months will still be considered. There are different costs associated with different tiers of guests.”
Ms. Tahira Banks, of Thoughtful Digital Agency, did the portal presentation regarding the application process for tourists to visit Anguilla.
During the meeting, Tourism Minister, Mr. Haydn Hughes, sought to set the record straight with regard to persons entering Anguilla. “One of the misconceptions is that we are going to have a blanket opening and persons can come as they will,” he pointed out. “We have seen that occurred in many other jurisdictions and the fallout from that. Just today [August 17], Jamaica is imposing testing prior to arriving there from four countries…The fact that these countries are only now doing this – and in St. Maarten you have to do a test before arrival and that’s it – I believe that we are embarking on the strictest measures anywhere in the world, and that what we are doing is the best practice. People are going to be studying what we are doing. One of the things we must recognise is that we live here and we are happy to know that we are covid-free. And while we want to remain covid-free, we don’t expect to remain covid-free indefinitely.
“Someone will slip in – whether through repatriation or by being a tourist – who may be positive. But we believe that we are putting all the measures in place to be able to contain that eventuality; and I think that this is a great programme we are embarking on. We not only want tourists to come to Anguilla -but also persons for six months or a year to work from Anguilla. We believe that in this covid time it would bode well for our economy.”
