Business View Caribbean October/November 2018

68 69 pletely ban the use of plastic bags and Styrofoam products.We’re very conscious of taking care of the environment and the sustainability of our space, going forward.We worked with the Blue Halo Foundation to make sure the waters around Barbuda are environmentally protected, and we’re now engaged with them to bring Antigua into line with that. After being hit hard last year by Hurricane Irma, I’m pleased to say Barbuda is on its way back. A number of the houses are restored, the school is temporarily operational, and there is electricity and water. The largest natural lagoon in the region was severely damaged. But the foli- age is now back, the lagoon is alive, and the birds have returned. “It will be an even more pleasing natural envi- ronment. Visitors can go snorkelling in the lagoon, and deep sea fishing.On land, there are many caves worth exploring and several Amerindian historical sites we’re looking to enhance, so you can visit the site and get an understanding about the people who were on Barbuda several thousand years ago. Unfortunately, some of those sites in Antigua were lost to development, and we’re trying to ensure that doesn’t happen in Barbuda. “For anyone looking to do a hotel property invest- ment in Antigua, we can link you with an environ- mentalist in the Ministry of Tourism who will give you the necessary guidelines –whether you want to locate on the waterfront or in the water, itself. We want to avoid a situation in 20 years where there are more properties, but the island is not sustainable. That’s most important.” This year, at the end of August, we were up about seven percent in airlift overnight tourists and nine percent for cruise passengers. The one area we’re down a bit is the yachting sector. That we hope to turn around.We sent a team to the Mo- naco Boat Show in September to give a presenta- tion, and we completed negotiations with Oyster Yachts who are putting an office in Antigua at Nelson’s Dock Yard. “Harris Paints is putting a paint factory in An- tigua.We’re also negotiating with Pirate Beer to locate a beer-making plant here. Antigua’s econ- omy is growing by 4.5 percent – that’s a big thing for any country, but clearly is very big for us in the Caribbean.We have a number of AirBnBs coming on-stream now. That will help offset the lack of three-star properties and fill the gap for people wanting to enjoy the whole local aspect.We’ll also be upgrading our website to make it a lot more interactive.” BVC: Does your Ministry address environmental issues? Minister Fernandez: “We’re proud that Antigua and Barbuda is the first in the region to com- MINISTRY OF TOURISM & INVESTMENT ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA