Business View Caribbean October/November 2018

64 65 really make it worthwhile. So, the government, at the time, decided to shift towards tourism. Since then, every effort has been made to ensure that it becomes very viable. As a result, tourism now accounts for 70 percent of our GDP. “In terms of investment in manufacturing, that’s something else the government pushed very hard in the ‘70s and was successful to an extent. Unfortunately, it was difficult to be competitive. Many industries came to Antigua and eventually became obsolete, partly due to operating costs.Wages in Antigua tend to be higher and we’re not an oil-based economy, so utility prices are higher. But we’re able to com- pete better now, with the advent of alternative energy. “In terms of tourism-related milestones, we’ve gone up to about 3,500 rooms, and the aim of the government is to double that through programs and initiatives to reach 7,000 rooms in five years.We have formed an Investment Authority with a mandate to incentivise invest- ments. So far, the majority have all been related to tourism. The government has also set up a Tourism Authority unit, through the Ministry, to market Antigua and Barbuda as a tourist desti- nation.We’ve set up offices in Toronto, the U.K., Miami, and New York, and we’re working hard MINISTRY OF TOURISM & INVESTMENT ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA to bring in outside investments linked to the tourism sector.We’ve also set out to improve on land-based products, so we’ll have more on offer for visitors to spend their money on.” BVC: What role does your Ministry play in keeping tourism flourishing on the island? Minister Fernandez: “Tourism accounts for a high part of our country’s economy, and the employment rate is intrinsically linked to the hotel sector. Apart from the government, it’s the next biggest employer. So, it’s in our interest to ensure that the hotels we have, as well as those that have come on-stream and ones that we are attracting, are well serviced. Antigua has become known as a high-end destination– a number of our properties are five-star, suited to business class and first-class air passen- gers. That has created a bit of a challenge and we’re now seeking to bring more three-star and three-and-a-half-star product to serve the larg- er group of economy passengers. “We’ve worked assiduously to have a more balanced product available; as a result we have a number of three-star properties coming on- line. The Best Western (three-star) should open during the 2019 winter season with 78 rooms in phase one and ending with 126 rooms. The