Anybody who attended Tuesday’s meeting at the Anguilla Tourist Board at which there were overviews of achievements during 2007, a market review and the dissemination of other pertinent information, could only have concluded that the various presentations provided much food for thought.

Of particular note was a brilliant and far-reaching presentation by Tourism Adviser, Donna Banks. Among other statements she made were that Anguilla must ensure that its tourism industry was sustainable over the long-term; that the island must continue to aim at luxury which is the direction of every tourism destination; and she warned that Anguilla, having achieved much competitive advantage, was not now staying ahead of the game.
That is a matter for concern when one considers another statement by her that “we are now running with the wolves” - a warning that if Anguilla is not careful, its tourism markets will be gobbled up by those who watch and compete with us at every move we make in our up-market campaigns and related initiatives.

For the 2006-2007season the Anguilla Tourist Board’s Marketing Budget was US$1.2m and for the 2007-2008 season the recommended Budget has been put at US$3m. This may sound like quite a hefty sum, but when compared with the expenditure of some of our neighbouring islands it leaves much to be desired.

John Benjamin, Chairman of the Tourist Board, pointed out recently that Anguilla had been able to receive much assistance from knowledgeable, influential and well-placed persons in the industry because of their love and commitment to the island. While this is good, it is certainly not a comfort zone for Anguilla. We cannot always depend on the goodwill or friendship of others to get us where we want to go. Anguilla has learnt the hard way from its revolution that anything worth having is worth fighting for and so we must take stock of ourselves and move to protect, maintain and expand on what we have achieved so far as a most desired Caribbean destination.

Donna Banks’ warning that we are not in a comfortable position as we are losing our competitive advantage, must keep ringing in our ears. Unless we are proactive in our approach and realise that “tourism is everybody’s business” in Anguilla, and that we must go after it with all our might in order to survive, we could stumble and even fall by the wayside. To stay ahead of the game – or better said, of the competition - we must remain alert to take any measures that are necessary to stay in a leading role as we continue to expand our tourism product and brand.
While a further growing of the industry with more up-market properties and services, and increased marketing expenditure, are prerequisites for sustaining tourism over the long term, much attention must be paid to crime which is raising its ugly head in our society. If we can control it in our paradise island, it will be another way we can stay ahead of the tourism game.

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