The conference room and the grounds of the Anguilla Tourist Board building were scenes of a variety of locally-made tourism products as part of the observance of Tourism Week 2020.
The displays, which showed much creativity and skill by the exhibitors, attracted much attention during the Open House event, on Tuesday, December 1. Among the spectators were the Minister of Economic Development and Natural Resources, Mr. Kyle Hodge, and the Parliamentary Secretary, Tourism, Mrs. Quincia Gumbs-Marie.
Speaking to The Anguillian newspaper, Mr. Hodge commented: “It is always good to see the different products that are made in Anguilla coming together in a setting like this. It is a good showcase and a good environment. I think we should have more of these events. This is what you call patriotism, and it is really delightful to see that we have creative persons amongst us.”
Mrs. Gumbs-Marie stated: “I am so impressed by the local talents. It seems that many Anguillian entrepreneurs use the natural beauty of Anguilla as an inspiration for their businesses. This is seen in all the elements we see here – whether it is the food or the items.”
Both the Minister and the Parliamentary Secretary were at the time at the booth owned by Irlon Joseph. He featured decorated items, washed ashore, such as ‘sea feathers’ and shells in different varieties and sizes; candle bottles with items from the sea, giving off a sweet scent when lighted; and working clocks with background of colourful scenes of the sea and sand in Anguilla.
Corporate Affairs Manager of the Anguilla Tourist Board, Mrs. Shellya Rogers-Webster, also spoke about the exhibitions. “We are very thrilled to be able to have Tourism Week this year, and to have The Open House,” she commented. “In the initial stages we were wondering if we would pull it off or not – given the drastic budget cuts that we experienced for Covid-19. However, there were a number of stakeholders who reached out to us and indicated that they still wanted to participate in our Open House; that they thought, in spite of the pandemic, we should still encourage businesses and persons to come out. We are really happy that we were able to still facilitate this showing.
“We have persons coming in and out all day, exploring the goodies we have on the island. We have food, entertainment and various items. We are always looking for opportunities to invite persons to see some of what the Anguilla Tourist Board does. We welcome one and all.”
