My Fellow Anguillians:
As we approach this festive season, we are mindful that we have so much to be thankful for. We came together in the face of unspeakable challenges and triumphed over adversity, staged the most remarkable comeback in the region, and kept our spirit and our pride. Our island is truly Beyond Extraordinary!
I am honored to be charged with the awesome responsibility of being the elected representative of District 7 West End and by extension charged with the responsibility for developing and growing our most important economic sector, Tourism. These are obligations that I take very seriously; I recognize they will require a greater time commitment and deeper immersion on my part in 2019.
Moving forward, I intend to form a small advisory council, with both private and public sector representatives, to navigate the way forward for Anguilla’s tourism, and shape a consensus on how we expand our industry for the benefit of all Anguillians. As the old saying goes, – United we stand. Divided we fail.
There is much good news to share with you. We launched our Anguilla beyond Extraordinary! Campaign in New York and Toronto earlier this month, and we received a very warm and enthusiastic response from our travel partners in market.
The Anguilla Tourist Board’s Beyond Extraordinary! Campaign captures the richness and diversity of the exceptional experiences to be found here, beyond our spectacular beaches. Our history, our culture, our cuisine, our festivals, our music, our offshore cays, our caves, our sport events, and of course, our people – all make our island a truly extraordinary and authentic experience for our visitors.
The Beyond Extraordinary campaign is aimed at sharing all these extraordinary aspects of Anguilla with travellers and travel planners alike. As we all know, today’s travelers are seeking more than sun, sand and sea. We have to provide our visitors with additional reasons to choose Anguilla.
Our tourism product this winter will conceivably be the best it has ever been. We welcome two new luxury brands to the island – Relais & Chateaux, in the form of the gorgeous Quintessence hotel; and the Belmond Group, that acquired the legendary Cap Juluca hotel. The recent purchase of the Belmond Group by the luxury retailer LVMH augurs well for the brand and for our island.
Our other five star resorts –The Four Seasons Resort & Residences, the CuisinArt Golf Resort & Spa, Malliouhana, Auberge Resort Collection, and Zemi Beach House Hotel & Spa have all renovated and refurbished, spurred by the competition to new heights. Our hotels, villas and Charming Escapes have turned adversity to their advantage, seizing the opportunity to make long awaited upgrades, enhancing their properties and refining our product.
Access to Anguilla is steadily improving, with the return of service into Sint Maarten this winter from several major North American gateways — including Toronto, Montreal, Philadelphia, Charlotte, Chicago, Boston, and Washington DC. There is also increased frequency from Atlanta, New York and Miami.
We are committed to expanding airlift to Anguilla through our own international airport, and I would like to take this opportunity to clarify certain issues and set the record straight in this regard.
The government of Anguilla has long recognized that without adequate access there is no future for our industry. EXCO has had various proposals under consideration for some time, and initial contact has been made with American Airlines regarding the possibility of starting a service from Florida in 2019.
In recent months I have revisited the opportunity with both EXCO and with major resort stakeholders and welcome their support. However it is premature to assume that an agreement is in place. The government has in hand a comprehensive paper, with a timeline and estimated budget for implementing this service. What is now under discussion is the proposed contribution from both the public and private sectors to facilitate the arrangement with American Airlines, who require a minimum revenue guarantee to mitigate their potential risk.
I am confident that our negotiations will be successful, given the importance of this issue to our industry, and the desire of all parties concerned to see it come to fruition.
We are also committed to expanding the San Juan gateway, as a viable alternative to St. Maarten, working with our partners at Seaborne and Tradewind Aviation.
Once again, I remind everyone that Tourism is a collaborative enterprise. A successful tourism industry thrives on dynamic partnerships between the public sector and private sector stakeholders. Equally important is the support and buy-in of the local residents – of all of us, Anguillians.
We all share a common goal — to maintain our preferred position, as voted by the sophisticated readers of Travel+Leisure, as the #1 destination in the Caribbean. And in the process, to ensure that every Anguillian benefits from this industry that is quite simply, our economic lifeline.
To my constituents, fellow Anguillians and Visitors I take this opportunity to wish you all, your families and friends, a very merry and blessed Christmas, and peace and prosperity throughout the New Year.
Thank You.
