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Crime Stoppers Antigua
News from Italy
New Hotel Directory
Colin James appointed CEO of ABTA
National Tourism Week
bmi to stop long haul services from Manchester
New Members November 2008
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On the Move
Rachel E Charles-Browne is now General Manager at Hermitage Bay. Mrs Charles-Browne joined the Hotel in 2007 as Assistant Manager and became Operations Manager in March 2008. She has worked in the hospitality industry for 18 years, in St Vincent & the Grenadines, Barbados and Antigua. Mrs Charles-Browne was Island Manager at Palm Island Resort in St Vincent & the Grenadines for five years, where she was instrumental in opening the resort. Mrs Charles-Browne also went on to diplomatic assignment with the Government of St Vincent & the Grenadines for over 5 years, as Manager of their Tourist Board in London where she had marketing responsibilities for the UK and Europe.
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Average Hotel occupancies 2008
January - 74.1%
February - 81.1%
March - 72.7%
April - 72.4%
May - 63.7%
June - 57.3%
July - 58.2%
August - 57.8%
September - 42.1%
October - 50.9%
For more detailed information
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Upcoming Events
Tourism Week 2008
- Sunday 23rd November
National Church Service
- Monday 24th November
National Tourism Conference 5pm -9pm
- Tuesday 25th November
Hospitality Industry Careers Road Show
- Wednesday 26th November
Barbuda Day
- Thursday 27th November
Trading Places
- Friday 28th November
Tourism Marketplace
Membership Christmas Luncheon
- 9th December (provisional)
Saint Lucia
- 18 - 20th January
Antigua Culinary Festival
- 27th - 29th March 2009
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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.
With apologies for the lack of newsletters for the last month. I hope now to get back to the regular weekly schedule |
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Crime Stoppers Antigua
Goes live |
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Antigua has become the latest country to be added to the worldwide Crime Stoppers International network. From Saturday November 1st members of the public will be able to submit information to the Police via a special phone line or through the Crime Stoppers Antigua website. A special local number 800-TIPS has been set up which links the caller to a call centre in North America. All calls are completely anonymous and untraceable. A reward system is in place where callers can earn up to US$2000 if the information given results in an arrest
Crime Stoppers first came in existence over 30 years ago. In 1976 in Albuquerque, New Mexico a young detective first used the media to help solve a vicious murder. The response from the public was overwhelming and the murder was quickly solved. This first case led to the establishment of a Crime Stoppers network which presently counts over 1000 programmes in North America alone. Since then it has spread around the world and is present on all six continents. Within the Caribbean Antigua is the eighth programme to be established, following Bahamas, Bermuda, Belize, Cayman, Jamaica, Turks & Caicos and Trinidad.
Crime Stoppers is run by the community to assist the Police in solving crime. It is generally recognized that persons do not want to divulge their identity when giving information to the Police and that there is a general mistrust of the Police Force. Crime Stoppers now gives persons with information the opportunity to share this with the Police without ever saying who they are. The special phone lines are answered overseas to presence the identity of the callers, all information is transmitted via secure software. Even though answered overseas the calls are only charged at the local rate. Alternatively information can be submitted via the Crime Stoppers website, www.crimestoppersantigua.com. Using secure servers the origin of the information cannot be traced.
Crime Stoppers programmes have been very successful in other island communities. In Antigua, we, the community can make our communities safer by helping the Police to take the criminal elements off the streets. Together we can all make a difference |
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News from the Italian Market | |
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From the 30th of September to the 2nd of October the Antigua and Barbuda Department of Tourism in Italy was excited to host the Honorable Minister Harold Lovell, Minister of Tourism and Civil Aviation, for his first visit to Italy.
 Mrs. Carol Hay, Marketing Director for Europe and the UK, attended as well. While in Milan, Minister Lovell attended a full day of meetings held at the Italian Department of Tourism headquarters with Product Managers of Italy’s top tour operators. Marketing initiatives were discussed with tour operators Best Tours, Hotelplan and Press Tours, including the planning of promotional events in Italy for 2009-2010. Minister Lovell also met with key representatives of Livingston and Virgin Atlantic airlines to consider promotional and operational opportunities for the upcoming season. Following Minister Lovell's meetings, Livingston Airlines has indicated that direct flight service from Milan to Antigua could be extended in order to more effectively support our growing market share. Virgin Atlantic Airlines, in collaboration with the Italian office will continue to promote flights to Antigua connecting through the UK. Minister Lovell also had a brief meeting with Mr. Camillo Colombo, the Italian office’s Representative of Sports Marketing, to discuss collaboration and upcoming sports tournaments to be finalized in Italy for 2009-2011. Overall, Minister Lovell’s trip to Italy was a great success! As our market share has been increasing over the past two years, the Italian office is planning more extensive promotional activities with our Italian partners, sponsors and tour operators. |
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New Hotel Directory
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The AHTA has just published a new Directory of Hotels and Services for 2009. The new brochure made its debut at World Travel Market last week
In a more convenient 8" x 8" format and printed in a much larger quantity, an initial print run of 30.000, the new directory should have a much wider distribution than previous editions. |
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Colin James appointed CEO of the ABTA |
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Colin C. James, an Antigua and Barbudan national, has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of the newly created Antigua & Barbuda Tourism Authority. Mr. James assumes his responsibilities early in the New Year and brings extensive commercial experience and business acumen to his new role, having served with distinction as General Manager of PDV Caribe Antigua & Barbuda Ltd, since March 2007. Prior to this he served as Chief Executive for Cable & Wireless St. Lucia, the largest of the Cable & Wireless East Caribbean businesses. Mr. James previously held the position of Chief Executive of both Cable & Wireless Dominica and St. Kitts & Nevis. His distinguished career also included roles as Marketing Manager with Cable and Wireless USA, Area Customer Services Manager for the Leeward Islands and Head of Customer Service for Cable & Wireless Antigua and Barbuda.
His key priorities for the Tourism Authority will be marketing and communication initiatives which will promote the beautiful twin island nation to increase visitor arrivals and drive on-island spending. The vision of the Tourism Authority is to market and promote Antigua and Barbuda as an upscale and unique destination known as the events capital of the Eastern Caribbean. Antigua and Barbuda will be positioned as a destination that offers a wide array of facilities, activities and events and marketed as one that is attractive, elegant and renowned for its service quality. The Tourism Authority will work in tandem with the Ministry of Tourism, which will continue to provide strategic direction. All overseas tourism offices will now fall under the structure of the new Tourism Authority.
Mr. James will report directly to the Minister of Tourism, the Honourable Harold Lovell, who adds, "Colin's appointment is a very welcome addition to our team. His experience in the private sector will be invaluable in helping us enhance our many unique selling points to overseas visitors."
Comments Colin James, "I'm extremely delighted and excited about the opportunity that has been afforded to me to serve my country in this capacity. The global financial crisis has resulted in unprecedented challenges which are affecting Antigua and Barbuda at this time. However, our country is in a unique position to combine the experience, skills and talents of our people, working with our key industry partners, to ensure the continued sustainability and success of our tourism sector."
James emphasised that Antigua and Barbuda has a great product to offer all its visitors. The new Tourism Authority will ensure that all local stakeholders are continually made aware of the importance of the industry while working to provide a visitor experience that is second to none.
Mr. James describes himself as a family oriented man of faith. He is married with two teenage children and holds an MBA from Baruch College the City University of New York. |
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Antigua and Barbuda's annual Tourism Week will be celebrated from November 23 – 28, under the theme "Realizing the True Potential of the Tourism Industry".
"We feel it is necessary that all sectors recognize the importance of tourism to the economy. This is why we have decided to take the week to look at the new avenues for growth, and to see where the private and public sector, can work together to further develop our tourism product, so that more persons can benefit”, said Director General of Tourism, Corthwright Marshall.
Tourism is the main industry in Antigua and Barbuda accounting for over 60% of the GDP and contributing to more than half of total employment within the population. Tourist stay-over arrivals by air, recorded up until October 2008 have amounted to 221160. This is an increase of 3% over the same period last year.
To improve understanding of this main industry, the Ministry of Tourism is inviting individuals from all sectors to participate in the tourism week activities which will start on November 23, with a morning church service at the Kentish Pentecostal Church.
This will be followed by the National Tourism Conference on Monday evening. Minister of Tourism, Harold Lovell will deliver the State of the Industry address and guest speaker Hilary Modeste, Director of Marketing Worldwide for Jolly Beach Resort and Spa, will address those in attendance on the theme "Recognizing the true potential of the Tourism Industry". Other presentations are expected to be made by persons within the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Industry.
On November 25, officials from the Ministry of Tourism along with Industry Stakeholders will interact with students throughout the country during the Hospitality Industry Careers Road Show. Students will have the opportunity to meet with Industry Stars, who will offer them insight into the world of tourism and hospitality.
Barbuda Day, which is scheduled to take place on the Wednesday, will see Tourism Stakeholders, journeying over to the sister island as guests of The Barbuda Council. Visits will be made to Barbuda’s historical sites, where recently mounted interpretation signs will be unveiled.
Ministers of Government, along with individuals from various sectors in the economy, will spend Thursday filling in for workers in the tourism industry. This will allow them to have a better understanding of a day in the life of a tourism sector worker. With media following this event, the wider society will also be exposed to the qualities needed by persons wishing to be employed in the tourism industry.
Tourism Week is expected to end with Tourism Marketplace, a new feature to the week of activities. The event which takes place at Botanical Gardens will feature performances by local artistes such as Claudette Peters and Young Destroyer. Fun day activities organized by industry stakeholders will also be held.
For more information on Tourism Week, please contact the Communications Department within the Ministry of Tourism at tel.: (268) - 462-0480. |
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Bmi to stop long-haul services from Manchester |
 Manchester Airport lost several long-haul services last week as Britain’s biggest airlines further focused their attention on routes out of London.
Bmi said that it was stopping all long-haul flights out of Manchester. Flights to Chicago will stop in January; services to Las Vegas, Barbados and Antigua will stop in March. Last month British Airways said that it would stop its service from Manchester to New York, BA’s only remaining international route outside London.
Bmi, which last week was taken over by the German airline, Lufthansa, has been operating long-haul services from Manchester since 2001. Up to 140 jobs based at Manchester Airport will go.
Andrew Cornish, managing director of Manchester Airport, said: “Business-class passengers are the key to the success of routes and in recent weeks premium passengers have declined as financial institutions cut business trips.”
Mr Cornish said that with the exception of Antigua, all the destinations served by Bmi are still served by other carriers.
A Bmi spokesman admitted that a lack of passengers at Manchester was behind its decision to cut the routes. “Long-haul services from Manchester have never performed to the levels that we had hoped and we see little prospect of change,” he added.
Bmi’s two Manchester-based Airbus A330s will be moved to Heathrow for services to Cairo and Amman.
Commenting on the subject Minister Lovell said that the Ministry of Tourism is working to get an alternative carrier to provide airlift from Manchester to Antigua.
BMI will cease flying in April of next year. British Airways will be doing “add on” services until an alternative carrier is sourced. “We are partnering with other Caribbean destinations on this matter. We are working with Barbados and St. Lucia with this alternative carrier to have services resumed direct from Manchester,” Lovell stated. |
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No.17 - November 21st, 2008
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