With the US facing an economic meltdown and markets all over the world bracing for the fallout, tourism dependent islands in the Caribbean must be shaking.
With rising inflation, the high price of oil, dwindling jobs, and generally less money to spend, it's a safe bet less people from Europe and the United States will be travelling and willing to spend money on something as luxurious as a trip overseas.
This upcoming winter season, traditionally the high season for the Caribbean tourism industry, will certainly prove to be a challenging one for hoteliers, tour operators and travel agents alike.
Factors in the islands too may also work adversely on the industry. Already Antigua is scrambling to repair its image after the murder of a British couple on honeymoon prompted many to cancel plans to visit the island.
Last week the island’s Minister of Tourism Harold Lovell travelled to the UK on a trade mission to continue efforts to sell Antigua and Barbuda as a safe holiday destination.
Mr Lovell said tourism operators in the UK have hired a public relations company to come up with a recovery plan. He explained that part of the plan would involve meetings with tour operators, travel agents and the media.
The tourism minister added that current hotel bookings “do not appear encouraging”.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment