Anguilla’s outgoing Parliamentary Secretary, Tourism, Mr. Cardigan Connor, says he is proud of the strides the island has made in the industry – of his contribution to that success, and that of other persons who worked with him.
Just on Tuesday, June 2, during a virtual meeting of the Anguilla United Front Government, Mr. Connor took a comprehensive look at the varied challenges the industry faced during the years 2010 – 2015, before his term of office; and the strides made from 2015 – 2020 under his watch as well as the plans going forward.
Earlier, Mr. Connor told The Anguillian newspaper: “Within the tourism industry, the Premier saw in me the person that he believed can be the voice of Anguilla, and the representative of Government in tourism, although not a Minister, but a Parliamentary Secretary. He saw that my experience as someone who internationally had gone out there in another field [cricket] as an athlete and an analyst would be able to deliver the message of Anguilla.
“Over the last five years, despite the challenges, we have done very well as a team – the Ministry of Tourism, the Tourist Board, the Anguilla Tourism Advisory Council and, of course, the private sector. I think all have worked very well in order to get Anguilla to the point where we are today. I think that for three years, having been voted number one island in the Caribbean is something that is very prestigious within the industry. We are very proud to say three years in a row because that tells you the consistency is of the highest quality, and that is a great selling point.
“Given the challenges that we face today with covid-19, as it affects the region and the world we, as a Government, have been able to pretty much have control over its spread – and this would say that persons desirous of visiting any place in the Caribbean, Anguilla would be top of their minds. I think that is something that puts us in a great position.
“Right now, we are looking at a proposed model as to how we can open Anguilla gradually… In times like these, when we need to be selective as to who comes, especially in the initial stages, means that we are at the forefront. I believe we are in a very good position, and I am sure that a number of other islands would trade places with Anguilla right now. But what I see that covid-19 has shown the world is that health has become number one, and if we keep our borders closed we are likely to stay covid-19 free; however, it is a case of getting the balance right. At some point, we have to put ourselves in a position where we can be selective initially about kick-starting the economy again, but our first responsibility is to our people who are here, and our Anguillians who are overseas and need to come back home.
“The best way of getting that done is to make sure that our test kits are in place; that our medical standards are at a stage that is best suited for our Anguillians who are coming home from areas where there might have been exposed to covid-19. We are also looking forward to protecting our own here and, as we look forward to inviting visitors to Anguilla, we have to again be in that position to protect them and ourselves.
“Everyone would like to have a particular date for the reopening of Anguilla . Some would say the 30th of June, the first of July or even the middle of August. The fact is that it is important for us, as Government, to work closely with the Ministry of Health so that once they say that they can cope with any potential issues, we can then say this is the date that we can start.”
Replying to a question from the newspaper, Mr. Connor went on to discuss plans for the further development of tourism, and the marketing of Anguilla for the eventual reopening of the island and the tourism season. He added that it was a pleasure to serve as Parliamentary, Secretary, Tourism, and expressed the hope that he would be in an elected position to continue his work for the people of Anguilla.
