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Emergency Economic plan
Uncovering the benefits of guest reviews with TripAdvisor
CHTAEF Golf Tournament
Fam Trips
Hotel Directory On line
Polish Press Trip
New Members November 2008
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On the Move
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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
Membership Christmas Luncheon
- 11th 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.
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Emergency Economic Plan
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The Government of Antigua and Barbuda has entered into an agreement for the establishment of an Emergency Economic Plan (EEP) for the Hotel Sector which has as its main purpose averting and lessening the negative impact of the global crisis on the economy of Antigua and Barbuda.
Following discussions between the Prime Minister, Hon. Baldwin Spencer, Minster of Finance and Economy, Dr. the Hon. Errol Cort, and Minister of Tourism, the Hon. Harold Lovell, a meeting was convened on Saturday, 1st November 2008 with representatives from the Antigua Hotels and Tourist Association, the Antigua & Barbuda Workers Union and the Antigua Public Utilities Authority. Also present were senior officials of the Ministry of Finance.
Considering the negative impact that the current global economic crisis could have on the local tourism industry, the Hon. Harold Lovell stated “It is important for us to do our best to protect this vital sector on which thousands of jobs depend. Every effort has to be made to address the issue of rising operational costs in order to ensure that jobs in the industry remain secure.”
A Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) has been formulated between the Government of Antigua and Barbuda, the Antigua Hotels and Tourist Association (AHTA), the Antigua Workers Union (AWU), and the Antigua Public Utilities Authority (APUA) giving effect to the EEP.
The EEP will have a duration of 12 months and will be implemented in two phases. Phase one took effect on November 1st 2008 and will run through to April 30th 2009, and is being undertaken under the following terms.
In relation to workers within the industry:
the practice within some hotel properties of spreading a 24 hour shift over 5 days shall no longer apply. Any 24 hour shift for hotel workers shall be spread over no more than 3 days;
The negotiated increase in wages and salaries for hotel employees will not be affected by the MOA. Increases, as negotiated and agreed between the AHTA and the ABWU under the new collective bargaining agreement shall take effect on 1st January 2009.
The contributory pension plan due to take effect on 1st January 2009 will be deferred for 12 months.
As it relates to hotel properties the following will apply: there will be a 15% rebate on all electricity bills for the duration of the MOA provided that the bills are paid within the allotted 30 days. This is to take effect from 1st November 2008. Hotels with outstanding amounts owed to APUA shall be required to work out a moratorium for payment of these arrears. In addition for all hotel properties that operate generators in accordance with the Antigua Public Utilities Act (APUA) and remain open for business, there will be a waiver of customs duties for the purchase of diesel.
In order to assist in the improvement and refurbishment of properties and subject to the vetting of the Antigua and Barbuda Investment Authority, capital items will be exempt from the payment of customs duties. Subject to the approval of the Cabinet of Antigua and Barbuda all new security apparatus and equipment to be used for the enhancement of safety and security will be exempt from customs duties.
The preferential rate of 10.5% applied to hotels under the ABST Act 2007, and paid by hotel guests will be extended for a period of 12 months from 29th January 2009 to 29th January 2010.
The Agreement also notes that the Government, through the Ministry of Tourism, will work closely with the AHTA to develop joint marketing and promotion strategies. These strategies, so developed, will be funded jointly from the Government and the AHTA in such proportions as the AHTA and the Government shall agree.
On the part of the AHTA an undertaking has been given to encourage its members to maintain the pre-existing levels of regular employment in the hotels during the period of the MOA. The AHTA has also given an undertaking that, in respect of any contemplated retrenchment due to adverse financial circumstances, which may result in employment levels falling below the base year levels, the matter shall be discussed with the Review Committee and justified before any action is taken. The base year in this regard shall be the comparable period of the 2007/2008 winter season.
The Terms of Phase Two of the MOA will be established in February 2009 and will take effect from May 1st 2009 and end on October 31st 2009 A review committee comprising the Minister of Finance & Economy, Minister of Tourism, the Chairman of the AHTA, the General Secretary of the AWU, and the General Manager of APUA will be established and will meet as often as required to keep the EEP under constant review.
To read the full text of the agreement, click here
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Uncovering the benefits of
guest reviews | |
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Online reviews can help connect you with your customers, find out what they really want and promote your hotel, restaurant or attraction.
TripAdvisor's branded sites make up the largest travel community in the world with more than 25 million monthly visitors, nine million registered members and 20 million reviews and opinions of properties and destinations.
Now more than ever, travellers are carefully checking reviews before deciding to book. And 87% of people looking for hotels are influenced by reviews1. A recent survey shows that recommendations from consumers generate higher levels of trust than advertising or branded websites
When potential customers go to your website, you have a great opportunity to convince them they should choose your hotel, restaurant, or attraction. Reviews can help reassure guests and compel them to book.
Trust in online reviews was found to be at its greatest when reviewers told both sides of the story. People are looking for balanced information, and having only positive reviews could be viewed as inauthentic. The good news is that, on balance, most reviews are positive – for example, on TripAdvisor, the average rating is 3.74 out of 5.
Reviews give you the opportunity to find out what is important to your customers, so you can quickly respond to them with a high level of service and build confidence in your brand.
Now TripAdvisor has new functionality that can help drive business to your property.
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Monitor what your customers are saying: On TripAdvisor, you can subscribe to a feed that will alert you every time a traveller writes a new review of your hotel, restaurant, or attraction. If you wish to respond to a guest’s comment, you can easily do so, demonstrating your commitment to customer care.
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Engage customers with an enhanced listing: In order to give travellers the most up-to-date information about your property, you should add as much to your listing as you can.
Photos – choose eye-catching images that will capture people’s attention
Videos – provide a visual guide that is just like the real experience
Description – include as many details about your property as you can
Also, be sure to verify that your property details are accurate on TripAdvisor.
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Feature awards and reviews on your on website: Travelers trust other travelers, so you can benefit by displaying what they’re saying on your website. There are a couple ways you can do this. a) TripAdvisor review badges • Broadcast what satisfied guests are saying • Keep travellers on your site while they research • Entice customers just as they’re deciding to book b)“Recommended on TripAdvisor” award badges • Show off the recognition you’ve earned • Associate yourself with one of the biggest names in travel • Make it easy for people to see your reviews on TripAdvisor For further details on how you can use TripAdvisor to benefit your property click here. |
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Enjoy invigorating play, network with colleagues and clients - and contribute to a good cause - at the Virgin Holidays CHTA Education Foundation Golf Tournament, at Caribbean Marketplace 2009.
When: Sunday, January 18 , 2008 - Shotgun start, 1:00 pm
•Where: St. Lucia Golf Club.
•Format: 2 man / woman best ball
•Why: You may not be able to break 100, but you can't beat golf as an informal network to build relationships and rapport. View it as a business opportunity - invite tour operators and wholesalers to play and discuss business for 4 hours. Are you a media delegate? Invite hoteliers, ministers and directors of tourism to play on your team!
•How: The fee per player is $ 225 .00 and includes green fees, cart fees, practice balls, boxed lunch, and beverages on the course. Trophies and prizes will be awarded to the "Guess your driving Distance", "Beat the Pro", Longest Drive, Closest to the Pin and the overall winners.
•Golf with a Purpose: You'll be playing a round of golf to help raise funds for the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association Education Foundation (CHTAEF) - to sponsor Caribbean hotel industry personnel and students which are pursuing hotel and tourism careers through our available scholarships.
Contact:
Contact Tom Pas
CHTAEF Trustee and Tournament Coordinator
P: | F:305-444-6583
E: paspurchasing@aol.com
If you can't play golf but would like to make a donation to the CHAEF a donation form is available here
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UK Wedding & Honeymoon Certification Fam & CTO Chapter Central Europe |
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Once again, The Ministry of Tourism is hosting the annual UK Wedding & Honeymoon Certification Fam from 26th – 3rd November. A total of 19 agents and 2 UK escorts are on island for the Wedding Expo taking place at the Grande Sandals Mediterranean Village on Friday 28th November.
Wedding co-coordinators from Jolly Beach Resort, Beverly King and the Verandah Resort - Laurie Marsh will be lecturing at the morning Seminar – Getting married in Antigua. With a packed itinerary, the guests will be visiting a number of hotels for lunches, dinners and site inspections to experience our tourism product.
On Saturday 29th the contingent will cruise abroad the “Mystic” Catamaran for the Sunset Cruise compliment Tropical Adventures and to culminate the event a Cocktail & Awards Banquet will be held at the Sandals Mediterranean Village – Lord Nelson Ballroom on Tuesday 2nd November.
The AHTA and the Ministry of Tourism would like to express sincere gratitude to Verandah Resort and Sandals for being the host hotels and making this event possible.
Meanwhile, Condor Airlines in collaboration with Ministry of Tourism are hosting 16 agents and 4 escorts from CTO Chapter Central Europe from November 28th – December 1st. Sandals Grande Antigua & Spa is the host hotel of this group.
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Our hotel directory is now online - click here |
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As the first result of the recent press trip to Antigua and Barbuda with Polish Journalists and Condor Poland an article was published this month by Condor Poland in the leading Polish travel trade magazine called Rynek Podrozy (Distribution: Monthly, Circulation: 6000, Readership 13,000). To view the article click here. A prize will be offered to anyone who can tell us what it is all about !!
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No.18 - November 28th, 2008
