A record number of Ministers of Tourism, including two Deputy Prime Ministers,
were present at Beaches Resort in Turks and Caicos, for the recent annual
convention of the American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA).
Antigua and Barbuda’s Tourism Minister Charles Fernandez, who was among
eight Caribbean tourism ministers in attendance, told the hundreds of travel
advisors present, that no place can offer an experience quite like his home
destination.
“I think that the most important aspect of Antigua and Barbuda is the friendliness
of our people and the welcoming nature of our people, because if you go
somewhere and you don’t feel welcome no matter how great and beautiful the
place is, you are not going to enjoy it. From our taxi operators up to the managers
of our properties, everyone you come into contact with lets you understand that
you are really welcome, and you are part of the tapestry of Antigua and Barbuda,”
he remarked.
Minister Fernandez also boasted that Antigua has the lowest crime rate in the
region, saying he was grateful to be able to tell them a bit more about the island
firsthand, “Then you put your heart into what you are selling because you know
what you are selling. So I think this (convention) has been a tremendous effort of
Sandals and ASTA to actually bring all of these travel industry advisors to the
Caribbean to understand and feel and realise what it is we have in the Caribbean.”
Chief Executive Officer of ASTA Zane Kerby, expressed his confidence in the
future of Antigua’s hospitality sector and by extension the entire region, and
pointed out that the Caribbean is now the second most important outbound market
for the United States, “The Caribbean is the second largest outbound market from
the United States and for the last two years it’s been the top outbound market for
overseas travelers from the United States. Western Europe has taken its crown
back, but this is still a place where there is enormous demand. In fact, I’ll go on
record and say 2023 has seen the highest record of travel of Americans to the
Caribbean in US history.
Kerby said this just underlines the importance of having so many tourism ministers
at the meeting to the future development and growth of the region’s tourism sector,
“Travel Advisors are demand creators for places all across the Caribbean, that’s
why it was important for them to hear directly from the Ministers of Tourism from
islands all across the Caribbean. The fact that they’re here (the Ministers) and that
they are talking to US-based travel advisors about all the great features, benefits,
new hotel builds, and new features that are coming to their islands is a testament to
the relationship and the importance and the strength of it.”
Stressing on the critical role travel advisors play in helping to direct visitors to the
region, Kerby went on to declare that the Caribbean has no better partner than
Sandals Resorts, “Sandals is the only Fortune 500 brand to come out of the
Caribbean, they are a major player, not only as a brand but a major employer in the
Caribbean. The brand is extremely strong in the United States, it has very positive
associations and it’s no wonder why so many of our travel advisors joined us here
this week.’
