inside - university of floridaufdcimages.uflib.ufl.edu/uf/00/09/92/20/00005/newsletter98.pdfccj,...

15 Thayer Street, London W1U 3JThttp://www.antigua-barbuda.com

ISSUE No.98 April 2005

Tel: 020 7486 7073 · Fax: 020 7486 9970

Inside• Antigua and Barbuda to establish closer cultural ties with Cuba (page 3)

• Deputy Prime Minister addresses Ministerial segment at the UN (page 5

• Prime Minister attends inauguration of CCJ (page 7)

• Tourism News (pages 9 to 10)

Digital Photos by Maurice F. Merchant

Greetings!

The 38th Antigua Sailing Week began on24th April and culminated on 30th April. This greatevent is considered by many sailing enthusiasts to beone of the top five regattas in the world.

Over the years Sailing Week has evolvedfrom a regatta for local yachtsmen to an internationalevent that spans five days. It attracts an average of200 yachts, over 1500 participants, 5000 spectatorsand some of the biggest, fastest and most impressivesailing yachts in the world. (sailingweek.com)

Additionally, the Tourism Industry hasrecorded a 1.2% increase for visitor arrivals for theperiod January through March 2005. This augurs wellfor the industry and gives rise to the hope that thistrend will continue in the ensuing months.

BOTANICAL GARDEN

It is indeed gratifying to see that TheBotanical Garden Board has received Government’ssupport as was evidenced by Cabinet’s tour of theBotanical Garden in early April.

Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer confirmedthat the presence of Cabinet signalled theimportance that the government places on therestoration of the garden as it related to the overallenhancement of the city.

I believe that we can all agree with PeterHarker, the Chairman of the Botanical Garden Board,and the government that the garden would alsobecome a tourist attraction and “a monument thatsignifies that the people of Antigua and Barbudaappreciate that a thing of beauty is a joy forever”.

Just to refresh your memory: The BotanicalGarden is located in Victoria Park at the top of St.John’s in the “greenbelt” area of the city. It bordersthe Queen Elizabeth Highway and IndependenceAvenue. The Garden is just to the east of theNational Archives and the site for the new PublicLibrary building.

INAUGURATION OF THE CARIBBEANCOURT OF JUSTICE (CCJ)

As is the tradition with most High courts, theCaribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) marked itsinauguration with much pomp and ceremony onSaturday, April 16, at the refurbished Queens Hall inPort of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago.

The ceremony which was preceded by anInter-Faith Service, included speeches from thePresident of Suriname and Chairman of CARICOM,Ronald Veneetian, Prime Ministers Patrick Manningand Dr. Kenny Anthony, Secretary General ofCARICOM Dr. Edwin Carrington and President of theCCJ, Michael de la Bastide.

Prime Minister Baldwin Spencer attendedthe inauguration accompanied by Attorney General,and Minister of Legal Affairs, Justin Simon,Q.C.,Justice Minister Colin Derrick and Registrar at theHigh Court, Joanne Freeland-Roberts.

Dr Carl RobertsHigh Commissioner

HIGH COMMISSIONER’S MESSAGE

GOVERNMENT NEWS

1

PM Spencer urges closerrelations with Brazil Prime Minister of Antigua andBarbuda Baldwin Spencer has predictedthat the Antigua-Brazil connection willswiftly become a major marketplace forBrazil/Caribbean trade.

The Prime Minister wasspeaking at the opening of the FirstAntigua-Brazil Trade Fair organized bythe ABI Financial Group.

“I expect that in very short order,the Antigua-Brazil Trade Fair willtransform this island into a major hub fortrade between Brazil and the sub-region,and the wider Caribbean. This couldeventually lead to a central role forAntigua as the hub for trade between theCaribbean Islands and Latin America, andthe wider world,” he said.

The country’s leader noted thatthe vision of the ABI Financial Group, itsaggressive investment posture, and its

outstanding record for success, would makeit possible. It was also pointed out that itwould mean direct economic benefits,significant entrepreneurial opportunities andincreasing job options for the Antiguan andBarbudan people.

“I envisage even greateropportunity accruing to Antigua andBarbuda from this event. It would be inthe interest of Brazilian suppliers forAntigua and Barbuda to become amore affluent and therefore a morelucrative market. To this end, a tinyfraction of the upper end of Brazil’s 182million people would provide atremendous boost to Antigua andBarbuda’s tourism fortunes,” PrimeMinister Spencer said.

Prime Minister Spenceroutlined that this can be achieved bydirect air services between the majorcities of Brazil and Antigua andBarbuda. He challenged the ABIExecutive team and their Braziliancounterparts to explore the possibilityof direct airline connections betweenthe two countries.

“A logical option for andoutcome from the Antigua-Brazil TradeFair would be expanding air traffic, and,ultimately, direct, scheduled airliftbetween our two countries,” thecountry’s leader concluded.

15 Thayer Street, London W1U 3JT

Tel: 020 7486 7073 · Fax: 020 7486 9970 http://www.antigua-barbuda.com

Issue No. 98 April 2005

GOVERNMENT NEWS

2

Ambassador Underwoodpresents credentials toPresident Chavez The President of the BolivarianRepublic of Venezuela, Hugo ChávezFrías received the credentials ofAmbassador Joan H. Underwood at aceremony that took place at thepresidential palace Miraflores. Alsopresent at the ceremony was EustoquioContreras, Vice Minister in the Ministry ofForeign Affairs with responsibility forLatin America and the Caribbean.

While in Caracas, AmbassadorUnderwood also held discussions withGovernment officials about thepossibility of Antigua and Barbudaaccessing fuel at discounted pricesunder President Chávez’s Petro Caribeinitiative. Since assuming office in 2004the UPP Administration has subsidizedthe cost of fuel at the pump therebyshielding consumers from the escalatingprices on the international market. Thecontemplated agreement withVenezuela would represent a moresustainable approach to themanagement of the cost of fuel inAntigua and Barbuda.

Arrangements are currentlybeing made for a high leveldelegation to travel toVenezuela to advance thediscussions ahead of ameeting of fuel ministersscheduled to be held inCaracas at the end of April.

In addition to the fuelinitiative, the VenezuelanGovernment has offered toassist Antigua and Barbudaby providing medicalservices. Such servicesmay provide an affordable,high quality alternative tosimilar services providedby medical institutions in

North America.

In the upcoming monthsAmbassador Underwood will be facilitatingdialogue between the relevant healthcareauthorities in Venezuela and Antigua andBarbuda.

In addition to VenezuelaAmbassador Underwood also hasresponsibility for diplomatic relations withBrazil, Chile, Mexico, Argentina andColombia.

Antigua andBarbudaand Chile tofurtherstrengthenrelations On 25th April,Antigua and Barbudaand Chile highlightedthe need for bothcountries to movetowards furtherstrengthening theirrelations.

During a meeting with PrimeMinister of Antigua and BarbudaBaldwin Spencer, Deputy Minister ofForeign Affairs of Chile, ChristianBarros stated that both countries haddeveloped strong political links. Hepresented Prime Minister Spencerwith a letter from President RicardoLagos of Chile, outlining the strongrelations which already existbetween the two countries.

He also pointed out that thestrong relations can be improved inthe areas of tourism and commendedthe role being played by AmbassadorJoan Underwood in opening uprelations with South America. Hestated that Ambassador Underwoodwill play a pivotal role in firming upthe relations between Chile andAntigua and Barbuda.

The meeting was alsoattended by Ambassador of Chile toAntigua and Barbuda, Alfonso Silva,who earlier in the day presented hiscredentials to Governor General SirJames Carlisle.

Prime Minister Spencer,who received another invitation toofficially visit Chile from DeputyMinister Barros, informed the




GOVERNMENT NEWS

3

delegation that he is pleased thatChilean experts would shortly visitAntigua and Barbuda to assist thecountry in the development of itsagricultural sector by establishing anumber of model farms.

The Prime Minister alsooutlined that his government is willing topursue the further development ofrelations with Chile, which has been afriend to Antigua and Barbuda.

Earlier in the day, the ChileanMinister presented computers to theMinistry of Agriculture, Lands, Fisheries,Marine Resources and Agro Industries.

On May 2, CARICOM’s choicefor Secretary-General of theOrganization of American States (OAS),Chile’s candidate José Miguel Insulzawas elected to head the Organisation.

Antigua and Barbuda toestablish closer CulturalCooperation with Cuba Antigua and Barbuda and Cubahas established closer cooperation in thefield of culture.

At the recently held meeting ofan Antigua/Barbuda/Cuba JointCommission during the official visit toCuba of Prime Minister Spencer, it wasagreed that Cuba will provide training inthe areas of dance, visual arts and theproduction of handicraft for the tourismmarket.

The Ministry is expected toidentify an individual to be thecounterpart for all cultural collaborationpurposes with Cuba.

Meanwhile, the construction ofthe Sir Vivian Richards monument willresume with the arrival of Cuban sculptorAndres Gonzalez to initiate the executionof the project. Andres Gonzalez was

responsible for the construction of the SirV.C. Bird bust at the West Bus Station.

During the Joint CommissionMeeting invitations were extended to theMinister of Culture to attend the IVInternational Congress “Culture andDevelopment” to be held in Havana, Cubafrom June 6 to 9 and the 25th Edition of theCaribbean Festival to be held in Santiagode Cuba from July 3 to 9.

The Cuban cultural division alsoexpressed their willingness to evaluate anyproject in the different artisticmanifestations, which may result frominterest by Antigua and Barbuda.

Cuban Officials on follow-upvisit to Antigua and Barbuda On 25th April two CubanGovernment officials paid a visit on PrimeMinister Baldwin Spencer as part of anassessment and planning programmewhich will lead to the implementation of anumber of projects agreed upon by PrimeMinister Spencer and Cuban Leader FidelCastro recently.

Cuban Ambassador toAntigua and Barbuda, His ExcellencyJose Jaoquin Alvarez Portela andRoberto Lepez, Senior Advisor to theCuban Vice President Carlos Lagevisited Antigua and Barbuda ondirect orders from President FidelCastro to move ahead withimplementation of the agreementssigned with Antigua and Barbuda.

Prime Minister Spencer,who handed a letter to Mr. Lepez fordelivery to President Fidel Castro,said that the Cuban officials’ visitshows the political commitment ofCuba to implement the agreementsreached with that country.

The Prime Minister alsohighlighted the need to fast track theLIAT initiative which he developed inCuba for the airline to start flights toHavana from St. John’s. Herequested that the Cuban officialsmeet as soon as possible with seniormanagement of LIAT.

It was also disclosed duringthe meeting that Cuba will sendwithin one week two experts relatingto the establishing of a polyclinic and




other areas of cooperation. Antigua andBarbuda also promised to provideinformation before July on the 50scholarship applicants, which wasagreed to by Cuba.

The Cuban team also heldmeetings with Finance Minister Dr. ErrolCort and Health Minister John Maginley.Antigua and Barbuda’s AmbassadorDesignate to Cuba Bruce Goodwin, whoattended the meetings, informed PrimeMinister Spencer of their outcomes andadvised that the need exists foradditional economic and other data to beprovided to the Cubans in order forfurther analysis to be made of thevarious sectors being assisted by Cuba.

Cabinet tours BotanicalGarden in preparation forplanned makeover The Botanical Garden Boardhas received the government backing asthe full component of Cabinet toured theBotanical Garden to get a first-hand viewof planned makeover of the garden intoa multi-functional park.

Speaking to the press after thetour, Prime Minister Baldwin Spencersaid, "It is an integral part of thisgovernment's effort to make Antigua andBarbuda a garden of the Caribbean andin order to do that we have to start withthe Botanical Garden," Mr. Spencer said.

He also highly commended thequick work of the Botanical GardenBoard in cleaning the area readying it forthe major changes planned, and pledgedthe government's support. Chairman ofthe Botanical Garden Board PeterHarker added that it was government'sintent that the Garden would alsobecome a tourist attraction and "amonument that signifies that the peopleof Antigua and Barbuda appreciate thata thing of beauty is a joy forever."

According to Harker, thecomplete makeover of the BotanicalGarden - which will include anamphitheatre, playground, gazebos,renovated bathroom facilities, fencing ofthe entire gardens, ice-cream parlour andconfectionary area plus proper utilities -would take approximately two years on aninitial budget of $500,000.

It is also anticipated that thebuilding that houses Citizens WelfareDivision will be reverted to the park andutilised for arts and craft. It is alsoanticipated that the Prison RehabilitationCentre, in the vicinity of the Garden willalso be relocated.

Harker is also seeking to have theBotanical Garden taken out of the hands ofgovernment and the private sector andplaced in a trust so it is more permanent.

The legal requirements of such atrust are being researched.

The 46th International SocialService Spring Fair

onWednesday 11th May 2005

atKensington Town Hall

Hornton StreetLondon W8

11am to 7pm

Admission £5Stalls from around the worldbrought to your doorstep bythe diplomatic missions of

over 100 countries

Don’t miss London’s largest,most colourful Charity Fair.Sample the best of globalcuisine; choose from an

inspiring selection of ceramics,jewellery and glass; adorn

yourself with scarves, hats andshoes; give the house a make-

over with exotic flowers,textiles and rugs; dance to the

beat of live world music; unwindat the all-day licensed bar.

GOVERNMENT NEWS




GOVERNMENT NEWS

5

Minister Daniel addressesthe Ministerial Segment ofthe Commission onSustainable Development In his first address to Ministersattending the High Level Segment of theUnited Nations Commission onSustainable Development, Antigua andBarbuda’s Deputy Prime Minister andMinister of Public Works, Transportationand Environment, Wilmoth Daniel,underscored his government’scommitment to the environment and togreater involvement with the importantissues which are considered by UnitedNations system.

“Our environment is a primeresource that Antigua and Barbuda gladlyshares with the rest of the world,” theMinister said, adding further that, “theenvironment powers the economies of theCaribbean, which are dependent ontourism [particularly] so in the case ofAntigua and Barbuda.”

Echoing some of themes thatwere the focus of the Commission’sdiscussions, Minister Daniel proudlyobserved “Antigua and Barbuda iscommitted to achieving the goal [of waterfor all] well ahead of the United Nation’s

Millennium Development target in 2015[andto] the installation of the first and longoverdue sewage system in our capital city,St. John’s.”

The Minister also cited therelatively high ranking of Antigua andBarbuda of 55 among 77 countries on theHuman Development Index, which ispublished annually by the United NationsDevelopment Programme, but cautionedthat “despite this high ranking, Antigua andBarbuda retains all the vulnerabilities of asmall island developing State.”

The Commission on SustainableDevelopment (CSD) is composed of 53members elected for terms of office of threeyears, meets annually for a period of two tothree weeks. The Commission serves as ahigh level forum on sustainabledevelopment that reviews progress at theinternational, regional and national levels inthe implementation of recommendationsand commitments contained in the finaldocuments of the United NationsConference on Environment andDevelopment (UNCED), namely: Agenda21; and the Rio Declaration on Environmentand Development. The Commissionelaborates policy guidance and options forfuture activities to follow up theJohannesburg Plan of Implementation toachieve sustainable development, andpromotes dialogue and build partnerships

for sustainable development withgovernments, the internationalcommunity and the major groupsidentified in Agenda 21 as key actorsoutside the central government whohave a major role to play in thetransition towards sustainabledevelopment.

During his visit to the UnitedNations, Minister Daniel used theopportunity to hold a series of bilateralmeetings with his counterparts todiscuss initiatives in areas of sanitationand clean energy. Minister Daniel heldbilateral meetings with Ms ConnieHedegaard, Minister of Environment ofDenmark; Lord Whitty, Minister ofFarming, Food and Energy of theUnited Kingdom; and Mr. StavrosDimas, European Commissioner forEnvironment.

On Friday, April 22, MinisterDaniel participated in a town hall-stylemeeting with Antiguans and Barbudansresiding in the tri-State area of NewYork, New Jersey and Connecticut, onhis government plans to develop theinfrastructure of Antigua and Barbuda.

Government to continueto meet the water needsof Antiguans andBarbudans Antigua and Barbuda’sMinister of Finance and the Economy,Dr. Errol Cort, underlined hisGovernment’s commitment to thedelivery of basic water services to thecitizens of Antigua and Barbuda duringa panel discussion at the UnitedNations Commission on SustainableDevelopment (CSD) for Ministers ofFinance and DevelopmentCooperation. Chairman of the UNcommission on sustainableDevelopment, Dr John Ashe, chairedthe panel discussions.




GOVERNMENT NEWS

6

In response to the question onwhat roles do Governments see for theprivate sector – whether large-scale orsmall scale – and for public-privatepartnerships in meeting water supplyand sanitation needs, Minister Cort toldhis colleague Ministers that “while therole of public-private partnerships is veryimportant, the onus for ensuring thatwater is supplied to all sectors of society,especially to the less fortunate, must restwith Governments.”

On the subject of humansettlements/slums, Minister Cort told thepanel that his Government supported:

(a) micro-credit and micro-financingthat can both target low-incomepeople and increase theiraccess to housing, therebyreducing slum dwellings;

(b) Public-private partnerships toprovide low-cost financing forhousing is necessary to tacklethe problem of slum dwellings;

(c) the need for internationalfinancial support forcommunity-based projects inslum areas and the provision of

unused public lands for low-costhousing as vehicles for achievingthe developmental goals onhuman settlements; and

(d) actions and policy decisions tocreate alternatives to new orexpanded slum formations,including providing gainfulemployment for youth, improvingthe system of land tenure and theinclusion of community basedgroups in urban planning.

Minister Cort attended andparticipated in the first ever panel forFinance and Development CorporationMinisters convened by the United NationsCommission on Sustainable Development(CSD). He also held a series of bilateralmeetings with his counterparts.

Other members of the discussionpanel included: H.E. Ms. Carin Jämtin,Minister for International DevelopmentCooperation, Sweden; Mr. Len Good,Chairman and CEO, Global EnvironmentFacility; Mr. Suma Chakrabarti, PermanentSecretary, Department for InternationalDevelopment, UK; and Mr. Adolfo A.Franco, USAID Assistant Administrator forLatin America and the Caribbean.

Opening presentations weremade by: Mr. Ian Johnson, Vice President,Environmentally and Socially SustainableDevelopment, World Bank; and Mr. CarlosFortin, OIC, United Nations Conference onTrade and Development (UNCTAD).

The panel was inaugurated by theSecretary-General of the United Nations,Mr. Kofi Annan, who delivered the openingremarks and was co-moderated by theMinister of Finance of South Africa, TrevorManuel and the Minister for InternationalCooperation of Norway, Ms. HildeJohnson.

The CSD, which ended on Friday,April 22, adopted a series of policydecisions on practical measures andoptions on water, sanitation and humansettlements.

Antigua and Barbuda toreceive twentycommunity centres

While commenting on hisrecent visit to Nairobi, Kenya in Africato attend the 20th Session of theGoverning Council of UN Habitat,Minister of Housing, Culture & SocialTransformation, Hilson Baptistestated that Antigua and Barbuda is tobe the recipient of 20 communitycentres, which will be constructed atstrategic points around the island.

The Governing Council ofUN Habitat is seeking to eradicateslums in parts of the world by theyear 2010.

Minister Baptiste said thatafter much investigation and touringof one of Africa’s major slums, hebelieves that Antigua and Barbudadoes not really have any slum areasand those areas that requiredevelopment, like Booby Ally, can berectified.

“When I saw the livingconditions of Africa’s slums, I thoughtit best that UN Habitat should spendthe money on persons who are morein need, therefore, I changed myapproach from housing allowance tocommunity centres,” the Ministerexplained.

The Minister said thecentres will provide an avenue forcommunity development and hehopes that the community centreswill feature day care facilities,learning centres, gym and libraries.He said with the new facilities, thecommunity would be furtherenhanced.

The Minister said that duediligence is yet to be done, and thelocations are yet to be decided.




GOVERNMENT NEWS




Government take steps inmaking Antigua andBarbuda aMultilingual Society The Government of Antiguaand Barbuda has moved closer towardsimplementing its educational policy ofmaking the entire nation multilingual.

During his official visit to theRepublic of Cuba, Prime MinisterBaldwin Spencer requested assistancefrom the Cuban government in theprovision of tutors in the area of Spanish,the second official language of theCaribbean.

The Prime Minister alsoexpressed the government’s interest inshort courses in Spanish, including thepossibility of teaching that language onradio and television.

The Cuban government agreedto collaborate in the teaching of SpanishLanguage both for primary educationand for professors.

In the long term, the BaldwinSpencer administration plans to makeavailable language instruction in well-equipped language laboratories, to thenation’s young people and interestedadults.

PM Spencer atInauguration of CaribbeanCourt of Justice CCJ On 16th April Prime MinisterBaldwin Spencer joined regional Heads,members of the judiciary and diplomatsat the inauguration of the CaribbeanCourt of Justice (CCJ) at Queen's Hall,St Ann's, Trinidad and Tobago.

The event saw Prime Ministersfrom 10 Caribbean countries, severalAttorneys General and otherdistinguished guests from theCommonwealth arriving at the Hall thatwas specially decorated for the occasion.

Following the ceremony, PrimeMinister Spencer said that theinauguration of the CCJ marked asignificant milestone in the history ofCARICOM. “This signals our intent totruly unify the nations of the region.Although Antigua and Barbuda will onlyfor the time being participate in the Courtin its Original jurisdiction, we see this asa significant event,” Prime MinisterSpencer noted.

The CCJ will function as a courtof original jurisdiction for most of theCaricom countries under the RevisedTreaty of Chaguaramas in the operationof the Caricom Single Market andEconomy (CSME).

President of the CCJ, Michaelde la Bastide, introduced the justices tothe audience, following which JusticeAdrian Saunders of St Vincent and theGrenadines and Justice DesireeBernard of Guyana took the oath beforePresident Richards of Trinidad andTobago. Professor David Hayton ofBritain and Justice Jacob Wit of theNetherlands Antilles will beadministered the Oath of Office in July.Justice Rolston Nelson of Trinidad andTobago and Justice Duke Pollard ofGuyana took the Oath of Office earlierthis year.

Also attending the Ceremonyrepresenting Antigua and Barbudawere the country’s Attorney Generaland Minister of Legal Affairs, JustinSimon, Q.C., Justice Minister ColinDerrick andRegistrar at theHigh Court JoanneFreeland-Roberts.

P

GOVERNMENT NEWS

8

Education Minister attendsCARICOM EducationMinisters Retreat

On 2nd and 3rd May EducationMinister Bertrand Joseph joined hisregional counterparts at a CaribbeanCommunity (CARICOM) Retreat ofMinisters with responsibility forEducation in Georgetown, Guyana.

The gathering discussed issuesrelated to Secondary Education and theRationalization of Tertiary Education inthe Region.

At a conference of Heads ofGovernment in 1997, a vision wasoutlined for Education and HumanResource Development in the region andseveral specific targets were set forvarious levels of education. Amongthese were:

• 15% enrolment of the post-secondary age cohort intertiary level education bythe year 2005

• Universal quality secondaryeducation be targeted forthe year 2005 withattendant annual targetsset

In response to this mandate,Member States have put in placemeasures for ensuring increased accessto tertiary education for their citizens andsome Member States have alreadyachieved and surpassed the enrolmenttargets.

The measures have includedthe establishment of new institutions andthe expansion of offerings and remit ofothers, e.g. in the upgrading ofCommunity Colleges to offer degreeprogrammes, franchising of year 1 and 2University of the West Indies (UWI)

programmes in specific areas toCommunity Colleges e.g. in Antigua andBarbuda, St. Lucia and St. Kitts and Nevis.In addition, there has been increasedemployment of Distance Educationmodalities for the delivery of tertiary levelprogrammes.

The Meeting is also expected todiscuss issues related to the agenda of theFourth Meeting of Ministers of Education ofLatin America and the Caribbean to beconvened in Trinidad and Tobago fromAugust 10th to 12th 2005.

Social Transformation planssurvey of Living conditions A two-man team from KairiConsultants Limited of Trinidad andTobago, recently concluded afamiliarization trip ahead of a Survey ofLiving Conditions in Antigua and Barbudaset to begin shortly.

The survey is a collaborativeeffort between the Caribbean DevelopmentBank, CDB and the Ministry of Housing,Culture & Social Transformation.

The Survey of Living Conditionswill seek to obtain baseline data to help theMinistry of Social Transformation planprogrammes and policies aimed atimproving the livelihood of the generalpopulation, while at the same time unearthshortcomings in the Government socialservices.

The two-man team comprising DrRalph Henry and Edwin St. Catherine metstakeholders of the project, outlined thenecessity for the survey and explained howthe information obtained should help theGovernment develop its social structure.

Dr. Henry, speaking to theNational Assessment Team, which wasappointed by Cabinet and includedmembers from the private and public

sectors, said the project is veryimportant to the development of anycountry. He said with the informationprovided, Government can thenmake the necessary appeal to theCDB for grants or assistance tofurther strengthen its services. DrHenry said if Government does notknow the areas of deficiency thenthey cannot adequately meet theneeds of their residents, as projectsmay be directed into the wrong areas.

Minister of Housing, Culture& Social Transformation, HilsonBaptiste said this new survey wouldhelp the Government meet itsmandate and provide continuedimprovement in the standard of livingthrough its social servicesprogrammes. He added that ifpersons co-operate fully with thesurvey, it should help theGovernment understand the realproblems nationals face daily. Hecontinued, “Once we know the needsand concerns of our people then wewill be in a better position to help,thereby further improving theirstandard of living.”

He added that his Ministryhas as its motto “The socialconsciousness of Antigua andBarbuda” and his Governmentbelieves that every ‘pocket’ ofpoverty must be reduced or totallyeradicated, adding that no oneshould be left out from advancing upthe ‘ladder of success’.

Preparatory work hascommenced and the entire survey isexpected to last approximately oneyear and will include fieldwork, datacollection and analysis.




9

A HISTORY OF ANTIGUA:THE UNSUSPECTED ISLE.

This book, written by BrianDyde and published by MacmillanEducation in 2000, not only covers thehistory of Antigua from pre-Columbiandays until the achievement ofIndependence in 1981 but also dealswith events over the same period inboth Barbuda and Redonda.

The author is an Englishmanwho, having known the island for over40 years and being married to anAntiguan, has taken great care to treatwhat could be thought of as potentiallydry historical material from a balancedcultural perspective and to write for thewidest possible readership.

His 360-page book covers thepre-Columbian migrations, colonialism,slavery and the plantation economy,the rise of the trade union movement,Associated Statehood, Independence,and the transition from an agriculturalto a tourist economy in an interestingand highly-readable manner. As well asbeing illustrated with maps,reproductions of paintings and prints,and many photographs, the text alsocontains numerous apt contemporaryquotations from each significant periodof Antigua’s history. It is a book whichwill appeal to anyone with anyconnection with Antigua, or with aninterest in West Indian history.

The author has also written thedefinitive visitor’s guide to Antigua (nowin its third edition) as well as a history ofthe West India Regiments.

His book, ISBN number 0 33375169 8, is available from any goodbookshop, priced at £17.95

TOURISM NEWS

New Air Services Agreementestablished between Antiguaand Barbuda and TheNetherlands Antilles Representatives of theGovernments of Antigua and Barbuda andThe Netherlands Antilles recentlyconcluded discussions in Curacao for anew air services agreement aimed atliberalizing air transport between the twocountries.

The new agreement will replaceone agreed to in 1994 that limited thenumber of flights that could be operatedbetween the two countries and alsocontained a number of other restrictivepractices relating to pricing and capacity.

Under the terms of the newagreement, airlines designated by Antiguaand Barbuda and the Netherlands Antilles,will be able to operate under an OpenSkies regime allowing almost unrestrictedaccess to each other’s markets, and willallow for market driven flexibility in relationto pricing and other commercialarrangements.

The new agreement also seeks tostrengthen cooperation between the twocountries in relation to aviation security andsafety by incorporating requirementsreflecting current international legalobligations in these areas. This followsrecent reductions in air service by carriersfrom The Netherlands Antilles and other

regional carriers, and is expected toresult in increased commercial,tourism, cultural, and tradingrelations between the EasternCaribbean and the territories of theNetherlands Antilles. The agreementwill come into effect oncegovernment authorities in bothcountries have completed thevarious legal requirements.

The Antigua and Barbudadelegation consisted of Mr. BrianChallenger, Technical Coordinator inthe Ministry of Tourism and Aviation;Mr. Leon Smith Acting AerodromeSuperintendent at the V.C. BirdInternational Airport; Mr. EdwardGilkes, Acting Chief OperationsOfficer of Caribbean Star Airlines;Mr. Wilbur Edwards, Director ofNetwork and Sales at LIAT (1974)Ltd; and Mr. Sam Waithe, AviationConsultant to Caribbean StarAirlines. Dr. Siegfried Francisco,Director of Civil Aviation of theNetherlands Antilles, led hiscountry’s delegation.

Tourism figures showgrowth for thefirst quarter of 2005 Antigua and Barbuda iscontinuing to see growth in thetourism industry as indicated byvisitor arrival figures to date for theyear 2005.

A 1.2% increase has beenrecorded for the period Januarythrough March 2005, whencompared to the same period in2004, with March recording a healthy9.5 % increase over last year.Tourist arrivals in January andFebruary experienced an increase of1.1% and a fall of 7.2% respectively.




NATIONALS’ CORNER



TOURISM NEWS Issue No. 98 April 2005

According to the acting DirectorGeneral within the Ministry of Tourism,Lorraine Headley, this pattern can beattributed to the increased presence ofAntigua and Barbuda in trade fairs andexpos such as the recently concluded ITBin Berlin, with a particular focus onattracting European visitors.

The country, which has a strongUK marketing drive, will continue itsextensive campaign there later this yearby participating in World Travel Market2005.

“The success of TourismMinister, Harold Lovell in securing thereturn of Condor to Antigua in Novemberwill contribute towards increased airlift,with expected increased visitor arrivalsfrom Germany as well as surroundingEuropean countries,” Miss Headley noted.

The Canadian market has alsoseen strong growth with a 15.1% increaseexperienced in 2005. A targeted publicrelations campaign being planned for theNorth American market within the next fewmonths is expected to contribute tosignificant growth in the remaining monthsof 2005.

With activities such as thelaunch of the 2005 Carnival celebration,and Cricket just around the corner, a busyseason for Tourism is anticipated. Plansare underway to improve the visitorexperience during peak period.

With projections for this year’stourist industry seemingly positive, allstakeholders are being urged to put theirbest foot forward in ensuring that this yearcontinues to record positive results.

Ministry of Tourism providestraining for small hotelowners Recognising the role of smalllocally owned hotels in the

accommodation sector, the Ministry ofTourism in collaboration with theOrganisation of American States (OAS)provided a special training opportunity forsmall hotel owner/ managers.

Focusing on the need for smallhotel owners and managers to beproficient in all aspects of hoteloperations, this comprehensive four dayworkshop, which began on Tuesday May3 and ended on Friday May 6 at theAntigua and Barbuda Hospitality TrainingInstitute, covered Hotel Management andOperations, and Food and BeverageManagement with a view to providingexisting and new owners with thenecessary skills to assist in the smoothfunctioning of their properties.

The major objective of theprogramme was to improve techniquesand approaches for hoteliers throughwhich improved performance andprofitability can be achieved.

Director of Product Developmentat the Ministry of Tourism, LorraineHeadley, sees the training as critical inimproving the standards for the smallhotel sector, “We are actively seeking toimprove the operations of local hoteliers toensure their continued viability within theindustry. We recognise the important rolethat such accommodation will play in 2007for Cricket World Cup and we will beensuring that these and otherstakeholders have the opportunity to trainin order to benefit fully from increasedopportunities in tourism.”

At the completion of theprogramme participants received theirinternationally recognised certificationfrom the American Hotel & LodgingAssociation (AH&LA).

The training was conducted byOAS trainer, Bennett Brown.

inside - university of floridaufdcimages.uflib.ufl.edu/uf/00/09/92/20/00005/newsletter98.pdfccj,...

Documents