Foreign Affairs Minister, E.P Chet Greene is calling on the owners and operators of local hotels to work closely with the government as planning for the hosting of next year’s Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) intensifies.
Minister Greene was speaking Tuesday at a meeting of the National Task Force appointed by the government to plan and implement all aspects of the meeting.
Several of the sub-committee heads complained that their interactions with the hotels were problematic as some hotels were making what were seen as unreasonable requests, while in other cases, the hotels seemed to indicate that their prices for accommodation would increase, even above what they would charge for regular stay.
Greene said this behavior by the hotels was unacceptable, as the government had made a conscious effort to attract major international meetings from which they all benefit.
“There needs to be a change in the manner in which the hotels interact with the government on this question of accommodation for the visitors attending these conferences. After all, it is the government that is attracting large numbers of visitors to fill their rooms. They then have a responsibility to cooperate with the government in this major undertaking. This is not an ABLP affair; it is a national event and it requires all of us, including the hotels sector, to cooperate and to make it a success,” the minister declared.
The Foreign Affairs Minister indicated that he anticipates that between five and seven thousand persons will be visiting Antigua and Barbuda for CHOGM which is slated for November 1 to 4, 2026.
He noted that CHOGM is the second largest gathering of world leaders in the world and the meeting will be the biggest event of its kind ever to be held in Antigua and Barbuda. Several monarchs, including the head of the Commonwealth, King Charles of the UK, are expected to attend the meeting.
Minister Greene is therefore appealing to all sectors of the local economy to cooperate and to make the hosting of this momentous event a success.
Additionally, the minister is urging the various sub-committees to carve out spaces for the benefits of hosting the conference to trickle down to the small locally-owned businesses as much as possible.
“Go local as much as possible, but do not compromise standards!” he urged.
