{"id":184502,"date":"2023-09-06T10:38:07","date_gmt":"2023-09-06T14:38:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/?p=184502"},"modified":"2023-09-06T10:38:07","modified_gmt":"2023-09-06T14:38:07","slug":"regional-ministers-and-travel-advisors-hold-historic-meeting-on-tourism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/regional-ministers-and-travel-advisors-hold-historic-meeting-on-tourism\/","title":{"rendered":"Regional Ministers and Travel Advisors Hold Historic Meeting on Tourism"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"antig-2321803167\" class=\"antig-ecab antig-entity-placement\"><a href=\"https:\/\/discoverflow.co\/web\/antigua\" aria-label=\"ANU CVP Digital Broadband 1200x400_1\"><img src=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1201\/h:401\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ANU-CVP-Digital-Broadband-1200x400_1-1.jpg\" alt=\"\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1201\/h:401\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ANU-CVP-Digital-Broadband-1200x400_1-1.jpg 1201w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:300\/h:100\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ANU-CVP-Digital-Broadband-1200x400_1-1.jpg 300w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1024\/h:342\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ANU-CVP-Digital-Broadband-1200x400_1-1.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:768\/h:256\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ANU-CVP-Digital-Broadband-1200x400_1-1.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 696px) 100vw, 696px\" width=\"1201\" height=\"401\"   \/><\/a><\/div><div id=\"antig-2392457068\" class=\"antig-before-content antig-entity-placement\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/medicalbenefitsscheme\" aria-label=\"mbs ad\"><img src=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1200\/h:400\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/mbs-ad.jpeg\" alt=\"\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1200\/h:400\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/mbs-ad.jpeg 1200w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:300\/h:100\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/mbs-ad.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1024\/h:341\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/mbs-ad.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:768\/h:256\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/mbs-ad.jpeg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 696px) 100vw, 696px\" width=\"1200\" height=\"400\"   \/><\/a><\/div><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">For the first time in its history eight Ministers of Tourism, including two Deputy Prime Ministers, descended on Beaches Resorts in Turks and Caicos from August 28<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">th<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> to the 31<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">st<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, for the annual convention of the American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA).\u00a0<\/span><\/p><div id=\"antig-835604508\" class=\"antig-content_5 antig-entity-placement\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ablpag\" aria-label=\"ABLP_2026_Launch_English_Digital-BB\"><img src=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1920\/h:960\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ABLP_2026_Launch_English_Digital-BB-1.png\" alt=\"\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1920\/h:960\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ABLP_2026_Launch_English_Digital-BB-1.png 2160w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:300\/h:150\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ABLP_2026_Launch_English_Digital-BB-1.png 300w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1024\/h:512\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ABLP_2026_Launch_English_Digital-BB-1.png 1024w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:768\/h:384\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ABLP_2026_Launch_English_Digital-BB-1.png 768w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1536\/h:768\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ABLP_2026_Launch_English_Digital-BB-1.png 1536w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1920\/h:960\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ABLP_2026_Launch_English_Digital-BB-1.png 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 696px) 100vw, 696px\" width=\"2160\" height=\"1080\"   \/><\/a><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Among the delegates were Minister of Tourism and Foreign Affairs for Antigua and Barbuda Charles Fernandez, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism and Investment from Saint Lucia Dr. Ernest Hilaire, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism, Investment and Aviation for the Bahamas Chester Cooper, the host Minister from the Turks and Caicos Josephine Connelly, Minister of Tourism and Transportation for Barbados Ian Gooding Edghill, Minister of Tourism and Economics for Curacao Ruisandro Cijntje, and Minister of Tourism and Economic Development for Grenada Lennox John Andrews. Jamaica\u2019s Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett joined via video conferencing.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_184506\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-184506\" style=\"width: 543px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-184506\" src=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:300\/h:169\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/pic-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"543\" height=\"306\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:300\/h:169\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/pic-1-scaled.jpg 300w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1024\/h:577\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/pic-1-scaled.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:768\/h:432\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/pic-1-scaled.jpg 768w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1536\/h:865\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/pic-1-scaled.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1918\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/pic-1-scaled.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:696\/h:392\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/pic-1-scaled.jpg 696w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1068\/h:601\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/pic-1-scaled.jpg 1068w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:746\/h:420\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/pic-1-scaled.jpg 746w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 543px) 100vw, 543px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-184506\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">From L to R \u2013 Gebhard Ranier &#8211; Sandals Group CEO, Lennox John Andrews \u2013 Tourism Minister Grenada, Ruisandro Cijntje \u2013 Tourism Minister Curacao, Zane Kerby CEO ASTA, Jackie Freedman \u2013 ASTA, Chester Cooper \u2013 Deputy PM and Tourism Minister Bahamas, Josephine Connelly \u2013 Tourism Minister Turks and Caicos, Charles Fernandez \u2013 Tourism Minister Antigua and Barbuda, Dr. Ernest Hilaire \u2013 Deputy Prime Minister and Tourism Minister Saint Lucia, Ian Gooding Edghill \u2013 Tourism Minister Barbados.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Antigua and Barbuda\u2019s Tourism Minister Charles Fernandez told the hundreds of travel advisors in attendance that there is no place that can offer an experience quite like his home destination, \u201cI think that the most important aspect of Antigua and Barbuda is the friendliness of our people, the welcoming nature of our people, because if you go somewhere and you don\u2019t feel welcome no matter how great and beautiful the place is, you are not going to enjoy it. <\/span><\/p><div id=\"antig-566822039\" class=\"antig-content_4 antig-entity-placement\"><a href=\"https:\/\/discoverflow.co\/web\/antigua\" aria-label=\"ANU CVP Digital Broadband 1200x400_1\"><img src=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1201\/h:401\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ANU-CVP-Digital-Broadband-1200x400_1-1.jpg\" alt=\"\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1201\/h:401\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ANU-CVP-Digital-Broadband-1200x400_1-1.jpg 1201w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:300\/h:100\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ANU-CVP-Digital-Broadband-1200x400_1-1.jpg 300w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1024\/h:342\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ANU-CVP-Digital-Broadband-1200x400_1-1.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:768\/h:256\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ANU-CVP-Digital-Broadband-1200x400_1-1.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 696px) 100vw, 696px\" width=\"1201\" height=\"401\"   \/><\/a><\/div><div id=\"antig-1241804211\" class=\"antig-content_12 antig-entity-placement\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ablpag\" aria-label=\"ABLP_2026_Launch_English-_lineup_Digital-BB (1)\"><img src=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1920\/h:960\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ABLP_2026_Launch_English-_lineup_Digital-BB-1.png\" alt=\"\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1920\/h:960\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ABLP_2026_Launch_English-_lineup_Digital-BB-1.png 2160w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:300\/h:150\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ABLP_2026_Launch_English-_lineup_Digital-BB-1.png 300w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1024\/h:512\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ABLP_2026_Launch_English-_lineup_Digital-BB-1.png 1024w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:768\/h:384\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ABLP_2026_Launch_English-_lineup_Digital-BB-1.png 768w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1536\/h:768\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ABLP_2026_Launch_English-_lineup_Digital-BB-1.png 1536w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1920\/h:960\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ABLP_2026_Launch_English-_lineup_Digital-BB-1.png 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 696px) 100vw, 696px\" width=\"2160\" height=\"1080\"   \/><\/a><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">From our taxi operator all the way up to the managers of our properties, everyone you come into contact with lets you understand that you are really welcome, and you are part of the tapestry of Antigua and Barbuda.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p><div id=\"antig-501920528\" class=\"antig-content antig-entity-placement\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ReggaeInTheParkAntigua\" aria-label=\"lucanio\"><img src=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:864\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/lucanio.jpeg\" alt=\"\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:864\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/lucanio.jpeg 1080w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:240\/h:300\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/lucanio.jpeg 240w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:819\/h:1024\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/lucanio.jpeg 819w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:768\/h:960\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/lucanio.jpeg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 696px) 100vw, 696px\" width=\"1080\" height=\"1350\"   \/><\/a><\/div>\n<figure id=\"attachment_184508\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-184508\" style=\"width: 554px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-184508\" src=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:300\/h:200\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/pic-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"554\" height=\"369\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:300\/h:200\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/pic-2-scaled.jpg 300w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1024\/h:682\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/pic-2-scaled.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:768\/h:511\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/pic-2-scaled.jpg 768w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1536\/h:1022\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/pic-2-scaled.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1622\/h:1080\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/pic-2-scaled.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:696\/h:463\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/pic-2-scaled.jpg 696w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1068\/h:711\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/pic-2-scaled.jpg 1068w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:631\/h:420\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/pic-2-scaled.jpg 631w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 554px) 100vw, 554px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-184508\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Charles Fernandez \u2013 Minister of Tourism and Foreign Affairs<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Minister Fernandez also boasted that Antigua has the lowest <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">crime rate in the region, saying he was grateful to be able to tell them a bit more about the island firsthand, \u201cThen you really put your heart into what you are selling because you know what you are selling.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> So I think this (convention) has been a really tremendous effort of Sandals and ASTA to actually bring all of these travel industry advisors to the Caribbean to understand and feel and realise what it is we have in the Caribbean.\u201d<\/span><\/p><div id=\"antig-1725713204\" class=\"antig-content_2 antig-entity-placement\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.courts.com\/antigua\/\" aria-label=\"500X500 (1)\"><img src=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:500\/h:500\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/500X500-1.jpg\" alt=\"\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:500\/h:500\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/500X500-1.jpg 500w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:300\/h:300\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/500X500-1.jpg 300w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:150\/h:150\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/500X500-1.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" width=\"500\" height=\"500\"   \/><\/a><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Chief Executive Officer of ASTA Zane Kerby, expressed his confidence in the future of Antigua\u2019s hospitality sector and by extension the entire region, and pointed out that the Caribbean is now the second most important outbound market for the United States, \u201cThe Caribbean is the second largest outbound market from the United States and for the last two years it\u2019s been the top outbound market for overseas travelers from the United States, Western Europe has taken its crown back, but this is still a place where there is enormous demand. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">In fact I\u2019ll go on record and say 2023 has seen the highest record travel of Americans to the Caribbean in US history.\u201d<\/span><\/p><div id=\"antig-1762560204\" class=\"antig-content_3 antig-entity-placement\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.antiguabarbudaculinarymonth.com\/\" aria-label=\"CM key_WEB 1300x300_1\"><img src=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1301\/h:301\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/CM-key_WEB-1300x300_1.jpg\" alt=\"\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1301\/h:301\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/CM-key_WEB-1300x300_1.jpg 1301w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:300\/h:69\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/CM-key_WEB-1300x300_1.jpg 300w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1024\/h:237\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/CM-key_WEB-1300x300_1.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:768\/h:178\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/CM-key_WEB-1300x300_1.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 696px) 100vw, 696px\" width=\"1301\" height=\"301\"   \/><\/a><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Kerby said this just underlines the importance of having so many tourism ministers at the meeting to the future development and growth of the region\u2019s tourism sector, \u201cTravel Advisors are demand creators for places all across the Caribbean, that\u2019s why it was important for them to hear directly from the Ministers of Tourism from islands all across the Caribbean. <\/span><\/p><div id=\"antig-2697683424\" class=\"antig-content_6 antig-entity-placement\"><a href=\"https:\/\/discoverflow.co\/web\/antigua\" aria-label=\"ANU CVP Digital Broadband 1200x400_1\"><img src=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1201\/h:401\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ANU-CVP-Digital-Broadband-1200x400_1-1.jpg\" alt=\"\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1201\/h:401\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ANU-CVP-Digital-Broadband-1200x400_1-1.jpg 1201w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:300\/h:100\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ANU-CVP-Digital-Broadband-1200x400_1-1.jpg 300w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1024\/h:342\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ANU-CVP-Digital-Broadband-1200x400_1-1.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:768\/h:256\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/ANU-CVP-Digital-Broadband-1200x400_1-1.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 696px) 100vw, 696px\" width=\"1201\" height=\"401\"   \/><\/a><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The fact that they\u2019re here (the Ministers) and that they are talking to US-based travel advisors about all the great features, benefits, new hotel builds and new features that are coming to their islands is a testament to the relationship and the importance and the strength of it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Stressing on the critical role travel advisors play in helping to direct visitors to the region, Kerby went on to declare that the Caribbean has no better partner than Sandals Resorts, \u201cSandals is the only Fortune 500 brand to come out of the Caribbean, they are a major player, not only as a brand but a major employer in the Caribbean. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The brand is extremely strong in the United States, it has very positive associations and it\u2019s no wonder why so many of our travel advisors joined us here this week.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Minister Fernandez also lauded the role Sandals plays in regional tourism, \u201cLet\u2019s face it, Sandals and Beaches are clearly the brand of the Caribbean. Hats off to them in terms of the standards they bring to bear, it\u2019s very important. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">People want to come to the destination but at the same time they want to know that the product is a good product, and I think Sandals and Beaches are both excellent brands.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> I think that any island that has a Sandal or a Beaches automatically gets recognised as a destination of choice in the Caribbean, because Sandals and Beaches have become such a trusted name in the tourism industry that if you are able to put one of those brands in your destination, then you have arrived.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">ASTA\u2019S 2024 convention will take place at Sandals Royal Curacao in August next year, where the association is hoping to build on the strides made this year.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"text-gray-400 flex self-end lg:self-center justify-center mt-2 gap-2 md:gap-3 lg:gap-1 lg:absolute lg:top-0 lg:translate-x-full lg:right-0 lg:mt-0 lg:pl-2 visible\"><a href=\"https:\/\/chat.whatsapp.com\/LgZXQuHl9MhCtCAAZEbcrd\">CL<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/chat.whatsapp.com\/LgZXQuHl9MhCtCAAZEbcrd\">ICK HERE TO JOIN OUR WHATSAPP GROUP<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/chat.whatsapp.com\/LgZXQuHl9MhCtCAAZEbcrd\">CLICK HERE TO JOIN OUR WHATSAPP GROUP<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/chat.whatsapp.com\/LgZXQuHl9MhCtCAAZEbcrd\">CLICK HERE TO JOIN OUR WHATSAPP GROUP<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/chat.whatsapp.com\/LgZXQuHl9MhCtCAAZEbcrd\">CLICK HERE TO JOIN OUR WHATSAPP GROUP<\/a><\/p>\n<div id=\"antig-759916784\" class=\"antig-in-comments_2 antig-entity-placement\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/@hadeedmotorsltd\" aria-label=\"Hadeed_WEB_Banner_MG-2\"><img src=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1000\/h:250\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Hadeed_WEB_Banner_MG-2.png\" alt=\"\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:1000\/h:250\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Hadeed_WEB_Banner_MG-2.png 1000w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:300\/h:75\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Hadeed_WEB_Banner_MG-2.png 300w, https:\/\/mlavawteztbj.i.optimole.com\/w:768\/h:192\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Hadeed_WEB_Banner_MG-2.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 696px) 100vw, 696px\" width=\"1000\" height=\"250\"   \/><\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>For the first time in its history eight Ministers of Tourism, including two Deputy Prime Ministers, descended on Beaches Resorts in Turks and Caicos from August 28th to the 31st, for the annual convention of the American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA).\u00a0 Among the delegates were Minister of Tourism and Foreign Affairs for Antigua and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":184507,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-184502","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.1 (Yoast SEO v24.1) - 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