CARIBARENA Antigua & Barbuda

There is no disputing that tourism is Antigua & Barbuda’s main industry, the vein of the islands’ economy.

Well… newsflash! Antigua & Barbuda does not have a monopoly on sun, sea, and sand. There are many places around the world where these three can be found.

The tourism industry is highly dependent on service, and it’s the way we serve that will give us an edge or make us a liability in tourism.

In short, for Antigua to maintain a healthy tourism industry, services should be top of the line.

Do you now understand why the tourism industry in Antigua & Barbuda has been hemorrhaging for many years?

Well, simply put, “service” in this country sucks. Just take a trip to the store, supermarket, hotel, bank or anywhere that service is required, and very quickly you will recognize the need for improved service.
If you think that the private sector is bad, the public sector is 10 times worse.

So, where am I going with this one, you may ask?

For starters, I hope that we all recognize how we are contributing to the death of our economy.

No way, you may say; the world financial crisis is the reason for Antigua & Barbuda’s failing economy.

While I will agree that the world financial crisis does play a role in the country’s financial woes, poor service has for a long time been damaging the country’s economy.

As a matter of fact, this world crisis has exposed our main weakness in tourism, which is our poor service.

Hawksbill Honour Scottish Couple Carnival and tourism have an intrinsic bond, and the common factor is people. There was a fitting manifestation of this when organisers of the opening... read more

At a time when travel has been hampered by the world recession, those who are able to travel are looking for the best bargain.

The best bargain does not come by way of reduced airfare or hotel room, but by the best service offered. This is the time to pamper those persons who do decide to travel to Antigua during these trying times.

Is it only for tourists that we should extend good and proper service? Absolutely not.

My mother used to tell her children all the time that charity begins at home. Another common theme was, what you do at home is what you will do when you go out.

Therefore, we should extend good and proper service to each other, and that will automatically flow to our guests. If you doubt that, just try it and you will see positive results almost instantaneously.

I had the privilege of working in the tourist or service industry for a long time, and I have seen the positives of good and proper service.

Sadly, at this time in the continued development of our tourism plant, we have taken a wrong turn. It’s time to get back on track.

There seems to be a prevailing sentiment that tourism is a subservient and demeaning way of life. We have become servants to those persons who have decided to visit our shores. The truth is, tourism is the absolutely opposite of that view.

What could be demeaning about being kind, cordial, helpful, and pleasant, and being paid at the same time?

Just take a little time and think about that. Sure, I know that tourism is not as simple as that, because like anything else, tourism has its flaws and challenges. These flaws and problems however, can be dealt with to allow for a healthy product.

I am not sure that those persons at customs and immigration understand their role in tourism, which as we all know is “everybody’s business”. These persons should be trained to understand that they represent a key role in the nation’s economic vein.

Customs and immigration can make or break a visitor’s impression of the country. This impression may determine whether someone returns, or what he says to his friends or colleagues when he returns home.

Sometimes, no matter what might have gone wrong during a week-long visit, it may take last smile or kind word to erase a bad image. On the other hand, a good week could be spoiled by bad attitudes from immigration or customs officials.

That is something to ponder.

The police must be more understanding and helpful - not just to tourists but to all persons.

One of the misconceptions of the industry is that tourists have a colour. Once we stereotype the tourist, we fall into all types of problems.

That is why it is so important that we treat all people with respect, whether they are citizen or guest. Contrary to what some persons have expressed about my criticisms of this country, I do so out of love.


We can and must do better if we are to compete against those who woo tourists as well.

Why should anyone be subjected to rude police, customs and immigration officers, or any other person for that matter?

So for those of us who are quick to complain that “no money in the country,” we need to look at what we do or do not do that is impacting the country’s finances. We all have a role to play, so let’s get to work and make this happen.

Our leaders need to recognize these facts and put systems in place to facilitate improved services. Outside of that, when the rest of the world rebounds financially, we will still be in a depression.

Let’s get to work.

< Prev		Next >