Anguilla joins nations from around the world to commemorate the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) World Tourism Day 2019 on September 27. New Delhi, India, is the host of the official celebrations of WTD 2019, under the theme ‘Tourism and Jobs: A better Future for All.
In speaking to the commemoration of WTD2019, Parliamentary Secretary for Tourism, Mr. Cardigan Connor, noted, “As a nation whose economy is founded principally and exclusively on the tourism industry, I count it as a privilege and a responsibility to join with nations from around the world to commemorate World Tourism Day. I am particularly pleased to see the theme address the importance of jobs as a critical factor in building a better future for our people, and I would like to highlight the important role that I see Education and Training playing in equipping our people to take their place at all echelons of the workforce scale – including the highest levels of management. The Father of our Nation, Mr. James Ronald Webster, famously said that “Anguillians would not be a nation of busboys, waiters, housekeepers, and maids.”
He was not minimizing the importance of these jobs, or belittling the level of professionalism associated with these posts. What he wanted to make clear to his people was that they should aspire to hold any position in the sector, including those positions in management, middle management or supervisory roles, which were usually regarded as reserved for the expatriate.
Our Premier, the Honourable Mr Victor Banks, echoed those sentiments when he said in a speech in 2015, “But, rather, it should remind us that as leaders it is our job to create the opportunity for our young people to be trained to take up a range of professions and trades equally important to our national development. And we must also help them to be empowered so that they can aspire to be owners rather than [mere] renters or employees in their own country.
I take this opportunity to remind us all that, as a nation, we succeed when our people can see themselves as eligible and qualified for any position within our leading industry, and that happens when we work to improve the quality and relevance of our Tourism and Hospitality education for, in so doing, we are paving the way for a better future for all.”
– Press Release
