The Government of Chief Minister, Hubert Hughes, has signed an agreement with the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) for the preparation of a Sustainable Tourism Master Plan for Anguilla. The plan will be funded through a grant of US$150,000 from the bank’s Special Resources Fund.

Chief Minister Hughes and Dr. Harrigan announcing Agreement

Mr. Hughes signed the relevant documents in his office on Tuesday, in the presence of his Permanent Secretary for Economic Development and Tourism, Dr. Aidan Harrigan. The Anguillian economist said in his introductory remarks that the concept of tourism master planning studies was considered to be best practice in numerous countries and that it was quite opportune for Anguilla. He noted that visitor arrivals in Anguilla had fallen back to the level of 2004, and that the only time that tourist arrivals had suffered to such an extent was after a natural disaster. He added that the situation demonstrated the task now facing Anguilla.

Chief Minister Hughes attributed one of the reasons for the decline in tourist numbers to the credit crunch in that Anguilla’s tourism thrust was at the upper end of the market instead of mass tourism. He charged that another reason was that tourists appeared to have stayed away due to too much real estate accommodation taking place on a very vast scale. He was happy that the coming Tourism Master Plan would provide some good for the island, pointing the way towards a more meaningful industry.

The plan will be prepared by a team of highly skilled and qualified tourism specialists, over the coming months, under the supervision of Ms Jasmin Garraway, the Tourism Planning and Development Specialist at the Ministry of Finance. A project implementation team of tourism trained personnel in the tourism unit will provide the necessary support in collaboration with senior technicians in the public service. A Project Steering Committee comprising all Permanent Secretaries will provide oversight under the chairmanship of the Deputy Governor.

In announcing the agreement, the Chief Minister and Minister of Tourism, said: “It is imperative that tourism, which is the mainstay of our economy, is developed on a more sustainable path, as we move ahead. This Master Plan will help us to chart the course we want the industry to follow. It will provide the guidelines to help us take proactive measures to manage the sector, and it will ensure that while we enjoy the rewards of tourism today, our tourism assets will be preserved so that future generations of Anguillians will also be able to share in the benefits.”

The Tourism Master Plan is meant to provide a formal long-term ten-year plan for the Government of Anguilla to use as a reference for informed decision-making related to tourism development and management in general.

Parliamentary Secretary for Tourism, Haydn Hughes, welcomed the agreement saying, “The timing is opportune in that the plan will provide a valuable information base for the consideration of the newly-appointed Board of Tourism.”

He also explained that throughout the planning process several stakeholder consultations will be held at intervals. “This will allow Anguillians the opportunity to provide input to the Tourism Master Plan. Such an approach is in keeping with this Government’s commitment to transparency and consultation,” he added.

The tourism specialists are expected to implement the exercise in phases, starting with a situation analysis of the existing elements of the tourism product. This will be followed by the identification of and assessment of various options for developing and enhancing the existing tourism product. The primary output of the master planning exercise, will be a detailed strategy and action plan for the development of the sector.

According to Dr. Aidan Harrigan, the Plan is meant to meet several objectives including the development of a diversified and more competitive tourism product in the medium and long-term. He added that it will also enhance the institutional capacity to manage the tourism sector. The Plan will provide vehicles for strengthening Anguilla’s presence in existing and new target markets.

The administrative framework and supporting mechanisms for the Master Plan are currently being mobilized in preparation for the site visit of the team of specialists.

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