Some may recall that achieving “44 weeks” of occupancy matching “festive” week was proposed as a sustainable path for economic development when GST first emerged. The strategy would pay government salaries and expenses without a layoff or new taxes, much less the devastation of GST!
At that time, they were taking about $16 Million every month. Not to pay debt. Nor build buildings or roads. Just operations.
Optimising occupancy would have met that demand and built reserves. A corresponding strategy to hold spending at that level – and focus on service quality as a destination would have also put us on track to attract more tourists, exceed needed revenues, and eliminate our debts, by now.
But here we are, beyond $20 Million a month, and having welcomed nearly 100,000 tourists by 2019.
Our only “growth sector” is government. With years of rapacious spending increases – immorally blessed by blind or willful British “good governance” – Anguilla may be reaching a point of no return. That is, 10 months of “festive” tourism, or about 100,000 tourists per year, may no longer be enough to quell the fury of government growth while impoverishing the People.
Casino proponents say we need to “increase our share” of tourism to – “…support the ‘people’ [?] and provide for a sound economy. [and] …that casino gaming could meet this need.”1 Which “people”?
Gaming taxes would only support “government” while assaulting our culture and attenuating our competitive advantage as a destination admired for authenticity, absent such “touristy” activities. So. Just how much more tourism do they crave for their tax addiction? That is, when is enough, enough?
Over-tourism is a Global Ordeal
As with gluttony, alcoholism, and perhaps an influx of gamblers, too much of a “good thing” for some can be too much for all. Destinations around the world have been overwhelmed by “overtourism” or “…congestion or overcrowding from an excess of tourists …” It can be an issue for residents “who view tourism as a disruptive factor that increasingly burdens daily life, as well as [for] visitors, who may regard high numbers of tourists as a nuisance.”2
Following the calm of Covid closures with reopened borders, leading sites have been struggling to stem a tide of newly liberated travelers. Examples abound, from Europe to Asia and cities like Miami. Familiar to many of us as tourists, ourselves, Miami offers a cautionary tale for any government determined to keep “growing its share” of tourists: Last month, “raucous spring break crowds” led to a “state of emergency” and a curfew, with liquor sales restrictions already being established for 2024!3
From Red Lights to Lights Out for Cruise Ships in Europe…
Imagine the Anguilla Tourist Board disbanding, restrictions on Airbnb and hotel operators to cut overnight stays by 44% ? and halting sales of alcohol from 4pm every Thursday to Sunday! Amsterdam officials are taking exactly such measures to cut 8 million annual river cruise and overnight rental tourists, along with its “discouragement campaign” for those who wish to “go wild” in the Red-Light district and “don’t contribute to the city in a positive way.”4
While Barcelona is facing its “driest year in 100 years” and “expecting more cruise passengers than ever,” they are risking the “environmental sustainability” of the city. One official described them as a “plague of locusts” that “devour the public space and leave.” Now planning to reduce arrivals by 700,000, or about 22%, they hope to “strike a balance” with residents and keep Barcelona from becoming a “theme park…no longer…of interest to tourists.”5
And… In Venice, a similar decision banned large cruise ships from the lagoon to safeguard its “environmental, artistic and cultural heritage” – which nonetheless impacted 4,200 workers in 2021.6
…to Endangered Cultures and Species in Asia Pacific
Being “fed up with overtourism” has Hawaiian legislators “considering a bill to dissolve its government sponsored tourism marketing agency” – while Bali has suffered an array of alarming incidents on the roads, altercations with officials, immigration issues, and public exposures in a nation where modest dress is customary. Balinese officials have proposed banning motorbike rentals to improve road safety – and one decried the impact of disrespectful tourists on fellow citizens as, “Destroying their culture [which] means destroying their life.”7
Water shortages – and traffic accidents have also led officials in Iriomote, Japan, to cap tourism, whereby its endangered wild cats had been injured or killed on the roads. With just 2,400 residents, the island was annually swarmed by some 300,000 tourists before Covid but has now set a daily limit of 1,200, or 33,000 per year. Notably, officials on Indonesia’s Komodo Island were also compelled to curb overtourism by instituting a visitor fee of ~$250US to see Komodo dragon lizards in their habitat.8
Overtourism vs. Gambling?
With respect to casino gambling, its potential contributions to overtourism for these sites may apply to all but two. That is, Miami and Amsterdam offer 18 and 15 casinos, respectively. Japan has 26 nationally, although none in Iriomote. Barcelona has 5 and Venice 1 of 5 in Italy; whereas they are illegal in Bali and, despite a recent gaming bill introduced there, in Hawaii. When its Governor Josh Green was recently asked about it, he said he would “…focus on housing and homelessness and health care…[and] be cautious …because we are able to bring on adequate revenue straight through the tourism door rather … than the gaming door.”9 Others might learn from such priorities.
Fear of Festive Fury in Defiance of Fundamentals
As the government rolls the dice with casinos and changing the character of our destination, they risk altering the character of our visitors. Offering such “touristy” attractions will open doors to overtourism by those who might never appreciate Anguilla or Anguillians. Will we, too, be just another island facing swarms of disrespectful, wild “locusts” that roam our beaches, without contributing to our economy or appreciating our culture, boycotting our businesses unable to compete from burdens of duties and GST?
Or, would repealing GST and voting No on casinos keep those who come for our People, food and beaches coming back by simply following the fundamentals of marketing? That is, by maintaining what differentiates us from our competitors: the authenticity of tranquility wrapped in blue – and the unmatched magic of our people, cuisine and beaches, where beloved guests come to lose the crowd and find themselves, like nowhere else on earth.
Ask your Minister for a motion to repeal GST – and to vote No on casinos!
This article reflects cultural and economic issues raised on July 5, 2021, at the House Select Committee on GST Public Hearing. 1 https://theanguillian.com/2023/03/attendees-at-public-consultation-meeting-object-to-casino-gaming/; 2https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overtourism; 3https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/08/us/miami-beach-spring-break-curfew.html; 4https://www.lonelyplanet.com/news/amsterdam-new-rules-overtourism-red-light-district; 5https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/apr/09/a-plague-of-locusts-barcelona-battles-port-authorities-to-curb-cruise-tourists; 6https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/venice-cruise-ship-ban-government/index.html; 7https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/2023/04/11/bali-bad-tourists-deported/; 8https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/iriomote-okinawa-japan-overtourism-intl-hnk/index.html; 9https://www.mauinews.com/news/local-news/2023/01/hawaii-lawmakers-bet-on-bill-to-legalize-gambling/
