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Mango & Pineapple Magic Menu 2009
Destination Antigua update
Hermitage Bay in Brides Magazine's Sexiest Resorts
Mindset of the 2010 Business Plan
British Airways Update
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New Members
- Columbian Emeralds
- Island Gems Publications
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On the Move
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Average Hotel occupancies 2009 & 2008
2009 2008
January - 62.4% - 74.1%
February - 73.9% - 81.1%
March - 69.3% - 72.7%
April - 60.2% - 72.4%
May - 55.0% - 63.7%
June - 50.5% - 57.3%
July - 52.0% - 58.2%
2008
August - 57.8%
September - 42.1%
October - 50.9%
November - 63.8%
December - 58.1%
Total year 2008 - 63.1%
For more detailed information
For the latest CTO statistics on international arrivals to the Caribbean for 2009
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Summer 2009 Closures
Admirals Inn - 2nd June - 14th November
Blue Waters - 30th August - 10th October
Carlisle Bay - 29th August - 17th October
Copper & Lumber - 15th August - 15th October
Curtain Bluff - 31st July - 31st October
Hermitage Bay - 6th September - 5th October
Galleon Beach - 1st June - 24th October
Long Bay - 1st September - 12th October
The Inn - 7th June - 1st November
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Upcoming Events
22nd - 25th September
Small Hotels Retreat - Saint Thomas
30th September - 2nd October
9th - 12th November
Marketplace 2010 - San Juan
10th - 12th January 2010
BIT Milan
22nd - 25th February 2010
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 is at your service to help you fill those vacant positions. At no cost we will post any vacant positions to the website.
Just send in the details to the AHTA Office
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Welcome to the Newsletter of the Antigua Hotels & Tourist Association. |
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Mango & Pineapple Magic Menu 2009 is the biggest ever. |
The Mango & Pineapple Magic Menu 2009 was held on Saturday, August 8 at the Antigua & Barbuda Hospitality Training Institute at Dutchman’s Bay. The winners were announced and awards were presented at the Mango Festival in Christian Valley on Sunday, August 16, 2009.
The 2009 competition was the biggest ever in the 4 years this event has taken place. There were 18 contestants in the Chefs Competition, from The Beach Restaurant, Blue Waters Antigua, Carlisle Bay Resort, Hermitage Bay Resort, and Trade Winds Hotel. Ten bartenders competed in the Bar Competition, from the broadest range of hotels, resorts and restaurants we have ever achieved; The Beach Restaurant, Carlisle Bay Resort, Galley Bay Resort, Jolly Beach Resort, The Inn at English Harbour, Sandals Grande Antigua, and Trade Winds Hotel.
All winners were presented with beautiful crystal trophies printed with their name and professional affiliation and the Mango Festival logo. |
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The winners in the Chefs Competition are:
THE DAME GWENDOLYN TONGE AWARD FIRST PLACE, Chefs Competition Lenroy Williams Commis Chef Hermitage Bay Resort
SECOND PLACE, Sylvester Henry Commis Chef Blue Waters Antigua.
THIRD PLACE, Charlesworth Jeremy Sous Chef Blue Waters Antigua
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MOST INNOVATIVE CHEF Lenroy Williams Commis Chef Hermitage Bay
The winners in the Bar Competition are:
FIRST PLACE Daniel “Timmy” Thomas The Beach Restaurant
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SECOND PLACE, Latoya Cabral Sandals Grande Antigua Resort & Spa THIRD PLACE, Lisa Ford Cannonier Galley Bay Hotel & Spa MOST INNOVATIVE BARTENDER Daniel “Timmy” Thomas The Beach Restaurant .JPG) The Mango & Pineapple Magic Menu 2009 is a part of the Annual Mango Festival celebration, and is sponsored by the Antigua & Barbuda Ministries of Agriculture and Tourism. The Organizing Committee for the 2009 competition was comprised of the following people: Verman Banhan, executive chef, Hermitage Bay Resort; Leroy Hodge, senior chef, Trade Winds Hotel; Colleen Simpson, executive chef, National School Meals Program; Graham Singer, executive chef, Blue Waters Antigua; Carl Thomas, chef/owner of The Home Restaurant; Julian Waterer, proprietor of Chefs World; Grace Cephas-Lewis, St. John Association of Antigua & Barbuda, Caudley George, Public Relations Specialist, Ministry of Tourism; and Madeleine McComas, committee chairperson.
For full information on the chefs and their menus click here |
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Destination Antigua update | |
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The AHTA will be updating its brochure Destination Antigua - Directory of Hotels and Services for printing before the upcoming fall trade shows. Please ensure that any corrections to the 2009 edition and any new photography are submitted to Thalia in the AHTA office before the month end. |
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Hermitage Bay in top 3 in Brides Magazine's Sexiest Resorts 2009 |
Brides Magazine has combed the planet for the world’s 10 steamiest resorts and Hermitage Bay, on the West Coast of Antigua, has been awarded second place in their Sexiest Resorts 2009 list of sizzling vacation locations.
Brides Magazine writes of Hermitage Bay: “Just saying the word “plunge pool” makes this destination sound infinitely sexy. Add “ocean views” and “wraparound balconies” and it’s no wonder why it made our list.” |
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The Mindset of the 2010 Business Plan – Survival Mode or Recovery Mode? |
In the throes of developing the Sales and Marketing plan for 2010 - it's time to do a gut check! What is the mindset of the people involved in the plan development - are they in a hunkered down in survival mode or in an optimistic recovery state? After a brutal year in 2009, it is easy to fall into survival mode.
"If you operate in emergency mode, you tend to lose sight of long-term plans. If you're in triage all the time, God help you," says Umesh Ramakrishnan, vice chairman at CTPartners, a global executive-search firm in daily contact with CEOs. (USAToday, 8/10/09)
Those unarticulated attitudes, or as Anthony Robbins would say ‘self limiting beliefs', reinforced by past and present data can lead you to develop a ‘survival' based plan that is oblivious to innovation and blind to the opportunities that present themselves moving forward. Being oblivious to potential opportunities in 2010 may be worse than dealing with the economy of 2009. |
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British Airways last week increased its long-haul fares across the board by up to £40 per round trip. The airline is adding £20 per round trip to all long-haul fares in World Traveller (economy) and World Traveller Plus (premium economy) and £40 per round trip to fares in Club World (business) and First. The airline says it has also increased its change fees from £70 to £90.
Both changes cover travel from the UK to the USA, Canada, Caribbean, South America, Africa, Middle East, South Asia, Far East and Japan. The changes come as the airline aims to return to profitability.
On 1 August, the airline introduced a new baggage policy, which included new fees for sporting equipment. Passengers travelling with British Airways will soon have to pack a little lighter, with the airline cutting its free baggage allowance in World Traveller cabins. From October 7, the allowance on most of BA's long-haul routes will be slashed from two bags to one, while other restrictions on sporting equipment will also apply. The new policy will only affect economy passengers and it excludes several routes. Flights to Brazil, Ghana, Kenya and Nigeria will still offer the two-bag allowance, as will direct services between the US and India, and between Bermuda and Canada. On all other flights, long-haul passengers who opt to check in a second bag will be required to pay a £40 surcharge (£32 when booking online) as of October 7. New rules over the carriage of sporting equipment have also been announced. With immediate effect, these items will no longer be included in the free-baggage allowance but will be subject to standard fees when checked in with another piece of luggage.
What's more, The Los Angeles Times claims that Chief Executive Willie Walsh is further looking at lowering the free weight allowance on checked bags (currently 23kg). British Airways has rolled out a wave of cost-cutting measures in recent weeks after profits at the airline nosedived into the red. Some of its more controversial moves included scrapping meals on short-haul flights and asking employees to work for free. |
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No.13/2009 - 18th August, 2009
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