In her report during the Government’s press briefing on Monday, March 2nd, the Parliamentary Secretary, Mrs. Quincia Gumbs-Marie, stated that with the upcoming Spring break, potential tourism arrivals in Anguilla are looking “very good”.
She said she was privy to some preliminary reports from some of the local hotels which speak to a favourable forecast. She noted that these hotels look forward to a rewarding expected experience based, to a large degree, on the efforts being made by the Anguilla Tourist Board.
She advised: “I would like to appeal to those persons who are employees in the tourism sector, and especially the front-of-the-house employees, that while they ask the relevant questions of incoming guests, they should do all they can not to expose themselves to unnecessary risks. And above all, I appeal to you to make sure you vaccinate. Remember that every person who comes to our shores has the potential to be infected with COVID-19, and the more protected you can be in that fight against the virus, the better off we will be as a country. So for all those persons who are employed in the tourism sector, we are expecting to see a greater up-tick with regard to being vaccinated as a protection against COVID-19.”
The Parliamentary Secretary was asked when the upcoming tourist season is expected to begin, seeing that there was a radical downturn of the season last year due to border closures. She replied: “After the Festive Season, there was Presidents Day, followed by Valentine’s Day. Many tourists travel to our shores at these times. But then, Spring-break comes up in March, and from April to July we will have incentive groups coming in, and such groups can consist of up to 250 persons.”
She then commented: “Each quarter has its moments of ups and downs. Of course, this is the case even when there is no coronavirus, so we can say that things are looking relatively good at this time in the presence of COVID-19.”
– Staff Reporter, James R. Harrigan
