Travel Influencers put Antigua on their DO NOT return list

1. Yup, I agree this government only treating the rich ppl well.

   • You’re are soo off track.Ignorant comment.Please stay silent if you do not know what to say.

   • Why did you publish this CRAP. ?

   • What a stupid comment!!!

2. Antigua is definitely not a place for hitchhikers..

   • Real

3. Glad it’s coming from the international audience, as an Antiguan I always say we have nothing here comparing to other countries that is doing tourism industry……….Antiguan historical sights are so broken down and need to be restored………..I’m glad you all hear from outsiders now,we have nothing to offer here in this country

   • You spoke nothing but facts

   • And they still coming here

   • FACTS as stated.

     Antigua is really not for 2nd and 3rd adventures.

     What is there that Antigua really has to offer after your first visit? What?

     Most historical landmarks are being set as dust or rotten woods in history’s bin 0 reference Fort James, the myriad of sugar mills & old estates on private and Chinese lands.

     Forestry, Agricultural and wetlands are being grounded down for political residential development.

     Beaches and ocean views are being turned into non-trespass able areas for cement buildings called hotels in a time that the world is looking into environmentally friendly living,

4. As they saying goes, “you cannot please everyone”.

5. I guess it’s a free world and these bloggers can do and say anything they want. Their opinion is their opinion. We as a nation should endeavour to read their blog and make the necessary improvements so that when we invite the people of the world they will have such an experience that they will want to come again. In the land of my birth (my homeland) one of our small family owned hotels has been honoured by the Caribbean Hotel Association because they had maintained a 97% repeat visitors rate for the past twenty years. It is important to cherish and promote our country no matter what party we support. Our visitors vacation where we call home.

   • Say it a bit louder please-especially the two last sentences.

6. Fake news
   But I believe it’s the stray dogs that turned them off

   • And you know that’s all they care about.

7. So we’ve made the list of places not to visit while broke. How is this an issue?

8. If you don’t have anything to share that is constructive and or helpful, keep your opinions to yourselves…..

9. Hmmm interesting!
   I hope the tourism minister saw this blog!!
   Nothing to do, nothing to make you return!
   Sad!!

10. Two freeloaders who don’t even have 1k subscribers are influencers now🤔. What do these media houses do a deep dive for as much negative press they can find to bring in the clicks likes and comments. Chupzzzz nothing else there to report on expect for two hillbillies looking for clout just gimme an aspirin.

    • Could not agree with you more! they come here with 20 dollars in their pockets and want everything free. sick of freeloaders asking to stay free for a good review.

11. They stayed with me and they were really nice people tbh

12. Me ………as an Antiguan would not tell anyone to come here THE CAPITAL RUN DUNG ALL THE DILAPIDATED BUILDINGS Looking MOLDY & GRIMY…..SMELLS STINK

    Young ppl walking around smoking splifs the vendors all selling the same sovenirs no originality…..same tshirts same key chains same same same

    The beaches are beautiful but that’s not enough to make you say IM COMING BACK

13. I can agree with them and I am saying this in good-faith. I honestly thought they were going to say when they were doing videos they were threatened and was treated with hostility as is the norm when recording in public in Antigua. These people do not comprehend at the market and their products is being granted exposure and free advertisements. They curse the people. Ask Henley Isaac the youruber I was watching during the pandemic where he was threatened with burst head, gun down etcetera. ANTIGUANS, TO ME, THE DUNCES IN THE WORLD. I am not saying this in bad-faith. I am saying it as a social scientist that have intensely studied the people.

    Also, I was there, and I was going crazy with boredom and loneliness. There was literally nothing there I wanted to spend money on or was attractive to me. Shirley Heights was a waste of time.

    The beach were littered, improper security and you keep looking at your car to ensure your firearm, keys, and cash is not taken.

    All the touristy restaurants sells the same nonsense, imitating US restaurants when all the tourist simply want to try local foods instead of the imitation red lobster, imitation ruby Tuesdays, imitation chili, etcetera. Oh, I got food poison from the restaurant in bolans located in a hotel. I forgot the name of it. Owner, Russian type lady and her husband, promised a return of my $400 and have not answered my calls or text.

    Big banana, food is horrible. I was recording at the section where they have a glass that tourist can record and view, they came over and because I am black and looked local, not like a tourist, they came over and literally was accusing me of recording with the intent of coming back to commit burglary and robbery of a kitchen. And even called the hadeed middle eastern guy to speak to me.

    That still hurt my heart today, I literally had to pull out one of my bank statement showing that those idiots in just this account alone, there is $6 million. And that is only one of my accounts.

    I was recording them through the glass view meant for viewing and recording and had child on FaceTime watching because it was so exciting. I should not say recording, it was FaceTime and I turned the camera for the child to see because I thought it was so cool that they have the see through glass to observe the cooking process.

    ANTIGUANS ARE THE MOST IGNORANT AND DUMB PEOPLE ON THIS PLANET. Do you know the lady was aggressive and like she wanted to fight me, and I was wondering, why was she so aggressive and pushing up on me, I then find out they thought I was recording. You know I saw caucasian/white tourist recording the pizza making process and none of the black idiots and racist idiots working at big Banana bothered them or thought those people were recording to commit burglary and robbery? ..

    I do not even know why I spent time on this place still trying to help these people. I am just genuine decent person but I think I have reached my boiling point.

    • You are absolutely 💯 right, ignorant as hell,can’t tell them nutn, no critical thinking, overly religious, they believe what they believe, regardless what you show them..I could go on and on…I feel you

      • Spot on – deluded unable to think correctly because religion plays too big a role and the old have too much of a voice. They don’t think like the rest of the world.

    • I was born in Antigus but not raised, I’ve heard so many people speak of Antigua the same way you do, am so sorry you had to go through all that. Some people are just ignorant in all ways. I’ve been wanting to my grown kids there to see where am from for years, up till now I still can’t, God knows why he hasn’t given me go ahead.

      Sorry for your experience

      • @Mafatt and Zimba, thank you for the empathy. It was horrible there. Horrible.

        I demand everyone to boycott big banana mainly. Instead they simply tell me to stop FaceTime or as they thought record (even though it was allowed), the woman was literally physically on my person and in my face like she wanted to fight.

        And you know I did not realize at the time it was because I was facetiming with a kid proudly showing the process. I was just thinking he is just rude and rough. She stating you cannot stand there, everyone else does and watch the food making process through the thick transparent glass.

        Then the hadeed guy came and say a report was made you are recording to commit burglary and robbery. That was literally what these idiots said to me.

        When I think about it, my blood boils. I WAS ON FACETIME IN PLAINVIEW.

        THEN THE FEMALE MANAGER at the time is saying what am I showing my bank balance to her for, what does that have to do with the issue.

        It was relevant because you are accusing me of recording the kitchen with pots and pans and seasonings with the intent to break and enter and permanently deprive them of the items by committing burglary, theft and robbery.

        It is relevant to know there is nothing in the fly infested big banana kitchen that I can’t afford. I can afford the kitchen and the building. You idiots.

        Let me just calm down. I am a man of law, there is nobody on this planet that hates criminality than me. They really violated me with that one. The dunces.

14. If they say antigua is only for rich yatch owners that mean they stayed around English harbor
    And having workied in English harbor for a few years I realized that alot of people visit over and over again and have never explored the island….so they might be an English harbor visitor, should have stayed in Gray’s Farm they would have gotten something to do 🤣

15. Gu way, for every negative influencers (BTW, what qualifications do you need to become one?) blog regarding beautiful Antigua & Barbuda, I can find 100s of positive ones.

    I note with interest, that they don’t say which country they reside in. Clever, because I would find places to tear down as well.

    AGAIN, GU WAY …

    • Well said

16. Hmm, what clientele would I want visiting my island? Would I want penniless ‘zoomer “influencers” or millionaire yacht owners dumping huge amounts of money in my economy.
    Hmmm…

    • @Caustic, you want regular folks, they travel often, and spend the most. Millionaires bring a yacht and everything they want and need is on that yacht. Regular tourist folks spend money locally that circulate in the economy.

      Those same people you mention promote more people to enter a country than a millionaire does.

      • @My Way of Helping – I understand your opinion, however, the us economy and the economies of many other countries are in shambles, many “regular folks” lack the means to enjoy such an exotic vacation.

17. Were the guys who uploaded that video and I’ve only just heard about this article being published by an Antiguan friend. We’re sorry in case that we offended some of you and that was surely not our intention! We have made great friends in Antigua and mentioned in our post that we experienced that the prices for basic foods was just so extravagantly high that we couldn’t afford to stay longer and not even made it to Barbuda to watch the frigate bird colony which we would’ve loved to. We hitchhiked several times across the whole island and stayed with locals and the people were incredible. However the biggest downside for us was just the expense of everything here and I can honestly still not understand how locals in low-income classes can make a living.
    Hope you understand our point, bless all of you, Berni and Alex ( message us on IG @hitchhikingdiary if you have specific questions )

    • Dear berni and alex…now you dun it. Thanks for starting the drama. We thrive on drama
      That is the national past time
      Antigua is very expensive. Customer service is lacking and the roads are bad (very)…except for maybe 2.
      Dominica has good roads and rocks falling from the hills. People seem not to be very literate.
      St. Kitts is one small place and so is Anguilla. Anguilla is real real expensive

      However in life we choose our poison, I rather live in nature than die in Trumpland. We appreciate the feedback. Did you get to go on the floating party boat at ffryes. Did you zipline. Did you visit prickly pear island. Did you see the carlislebay sunset. Did you see the majesty of God’s creation at our highest point. We won’t offer to pay for your next trip to show you these but tell your 1k friends to remember to bring their bugspray when they come.
      TheCafibbean is blessed and beautiful. Do come again and of you don’t, you don’t.
      Like Keke you might get some good ratings from your post (maybe thats the objective) and come to antigua next year to swim with the stingrays go to Nassau and swim with the pigs.Have your Epi-pen handy

    • Thank you @Hitchhiking Diary

      I hope all the keyboard gangsters hiding behind thier pseudo names understood this, especially the powers that be.

      We need a tourism minister with vision too🤨

    • Everything you said is true. I wonder how I survive here. God is good.

18. Every traveler has there own expectation of what they want in the travel experience. Some of us may not visit and the cold and some would. Saying this because this is not what they wanted. But I will say “ Antigua me born and Antigua me come from” the opinion of two people shouldn’t change the mindset of other travelers

    • @ Darren Antigua – well said. First “influencers” in my world are completely and totally meaningless. Also, opinions on a place to vacation are the same as opinions of a given restaurant, completely subjective.
      As for my wife and I, we cannot wait to visit Antigua!

19. Influencers!!! Well I guess I am one also. I await comments as an influencer.

20. I see their review as an opportunity for us (Antigua) to make adjustments to our tourism offerings. They did not insult Antigua. They complemented the people and the island. They said they didn’t have much to do here and that us true. They are not lying and not one local has a right to be upset about it. We don’t respect the value of our history, because most think the beaches will carry the country. We do have very friendly people as does everywhere in the world, however for a visitor Antigua and Barbuda lacks simple things to keep your focus. We used to have night clubs and lots to do. That isn’t the case now.

21. What is everyone getting bent out of shape for?

    Many of us have visited places that we won’t visit again. To each their own. Are we going to try and improve for two people or be happy with the thousands who enjoy it here.

22. I was born in Antigua and migrated as a young girl way before my teen years but I’ve always gone back during summer breaks that was until my grandparents were no longer around, they were the reason. It seems that the only way I get back is because of bereavements and once I realized that I kept away, time passed and early last year I had decided to spend my 55 bday in my birth country, thank Goodness I have a cousin who owns a family and close friends only Airbnb in jolly harbor as I felt like a lost stranger and orphan in my own birth home.. times have really changed the word family is not the same. I was alone and was thankful to my cousin and his wife for making time to spend my birthday w me at that italian spot out JH and I must say Everyone including the restaurant hosts were so nice I even invited three ladies I had met on the beach and they came and had fun with the live band! I enjoyed myself! My cousin sister rented a car to take me around as I did not feel confident to drive on the island myself I ended up in town heritage quay and treated us to Lunch speaking of Big Banana! So at BIg Banana, as I waited Fr lunch and sat at the window a local guy I assume indigent approach me and stated he was just hungry so I bought him lunch and a drink of his choice I do it in My adopted America I can certainly do it in my birth home I was blessed to help someone that day well the manager of the restaurant ( Indian looking mix ) told me do not buy him anything he’s a nuisance etc and should not be there( he was outside of window) I said it’s my choice and don’t tell me what to do or I can take my business elsewhere, the lady in the restaurant whispered to me the guy does not cause trouble and that’s not true I told her to take care of the meal I’ll pay and make sure he gets it she said ok I tipped her and left once I was assured he got it. At times the way we treat our own is sadder than their situation and I was offended that someone from another country tried to tell me I should not have fed someone who wanted Nothing but a meal and he was polite too. I have 3 sons in this world and I believe that one day if one is ever in need of something the Universe will remember a good deed. For all I know he could have been an unfamiliar family. Antigua is a Beautiful Country no matter what, it has its issues just like Everywhere but it’s still A Beauty for many, Two out of many is Sip Sip Coconut Water what did these two people do that made a difference while there in Antigua.

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