The site features auction lots of donated prizes from member establishments. The site was launched officially at the Association's Annual General Meeting on Monday April 28 and was designed and donated to the AHTA by Bob Green, the host of the popular Bob Green's Anguilla News Internet site www.news.ai. The first auction lot to be featured is a five night stay in a one bedroom Beach House at the luxurious Covecastles Resort on Shoal Bay West. The package includes daily continental breakfast and all government taxes and service charge.

Opening bids on the AHTA auction lots will be priced conservatively and minimum bid increments will be listed at only US$25.00 in order to generate enthusiastic participation from a worldwide audience. The starting bid for the Covecastles package was US$300.00 but quickly jumped to US$350.00 even before yesterday's official launch. Bidding is expected to be fun and exciting with auction lots being featured for a maximum of only two weeks. Bidding is open to the general public including AHTA members and their employees.

In the development phase for more than two years, the idea for an AHTA auction web site was first introduced by Wilbert Fleming, manager of Anguilla Great House Beach Resort and a member of the AHTA Board of Directors. It is one of the first such sites in the region and is expected to be a primary source of non-dues revenue for the AHTA.

AHTA members are asked to assist the AHTA in promoting the new web site in a couple of ways. Firstly, by featuring a link to the auction site located at www.anguillauctions.com on their own web sites and, secondly, by donating prizes for auction. As an additional promotion value and membership benefit, all AHTA members are listed on the auction site and a free link is provided directly to their own web sites. In the coming months, the AHTA hopes to feature not only hotel and villa stays on the site but art work, watersports excursions, meals, car rentals and other tourist products and services as well.

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