Presentation of Awards

The observance of Tourism Week 2002 in Anguilla continued with a presentation of awards ceremony at Coccoloba Resort on Monday, November 18, with the Special Assistant in the Ministry of Tourism, Donna Banks, chairing the proceedings. In her introductory remarks she observed that the best of Anguilla was being celebrated. Included in the list were the island’s friendly people, beaches, cuisine, culture, athletes, environment, accommodation facilities and taxi-drivers.

Chief Minister and Minister of Tourism, Osbourne Fleming, spoke about the importance of the tourism industry to the island’s economy and the need to protect it. “I appeal to all persons to think tourism, discuss tourism and to be the best hosts so that we can continue to celebrate the best of Anguilla,” he stated. “I congratulate all the stakeholders in the industry and I want you to realise that during this particular season, we have an obligation to restore tourism to what it was after all the ills that went down over the past year.”

Athletes receive recognition for participation in Commonwealth Games

Mr. Fleming thanked all the private sector partners, the Chairman and members of the Anguilla Tourism Board and the President and Executive Director of the Anguilla Hotel and Tourism Association for their combined efforts in promoting Anguilla as a destination of choice; and for raising public awareness about the critical role of tourism as the island’s number one industry.
Chairman of the Anguilla Tourist Board, John Benjamin, commenting on his recent appointment, said it was a great honour for him to serve in that capacity. He spoke about the need to further promote the island as an upscale destination and of efforts at Blowing Point and other areas to clean up Anguilla and to make it “a garden of the Caribbean.” He stated that when compared with other places, Anguilla was relatively crime-free and that tourists can walk freely about. “That was one thing that I was told in Monte Carlo: that the rich and famous like to walk with their jewelry and to feel secure that it would not be taken off them. I can say, and I am sure that most of you would agree, that they can do that in Anguilla. If they can do that in New York, they can do it in Anguilla,” he stated. He cautioned, however, that there was a need to ensure that the crime level was kept under the control.
The feature address was delivered by Pastor Phillip Gumbs of the Church of God (Holiness). He spoke about the history of the island and its people; and the challenges of French and Wild Irish invasions, famine and the political and economic repression Anguillians faced but whose indomitable courage and love for country made them hold on to Anguilla and eventually led them to embark on the 1967 revolution out of which a new nation was born.. He traced the varied skills and traditions of Anguillians and read some of the local history.
“I was convinced that the best of Anguilla is what you see in is what you read in a mirror. It is the people who came before us who laboured long and hard and suffered under very austere and harsh conditions,” the Pastor said. “As I look at our ancestors I saw in them sterling qualities, a strong independent spirit and tenacity… It is important for us to understand who we area, embrace who we are and to present that to our visitors. What characterised our people has been their genuine friendliness. I asked a senior person who goes back to the 1920s and they emphasised that the people of Anguilla were always a very hospitable people… Our beaches and our hotels are talked about but what really draws our visitors is the friendliness of our people and it is important to understand that when the tourists see us, they are seeing the best of Anguilla. Our spirit, our attitude, our receptivity, thoughtfulness and our helpfulness – that is the best that Anguilla can offer.”

L-R Brenda Huggins, NBA (Allied Member), Travis Simpson (Cap Juluca), Robert Murray (Supervisor of the Year - Covecastles), Denette Webster (Immigration Officer), Eustace Guishard (Hotelier of the Year; Sponsored by Scotiabank), Johnno Edwards and Evelyn Thomas (Pioneer Awards)

Other persons who participated in the ceremony were James Harrigan, Accountant at the Tourist Board’s Office who sang the National Song of Anguilla and Superintendent of the Methodist Church, Reverend Lindsay Richardson, who gave the invocation. There were also cultural presentations by the All Ah We Dance Threatre and drum band and a performance by Soraya Richardson, Anguilla’s 2002 Calypso Monarch. The programme culminated in a celebration of the island’s athletes and summer festival winners and the award presentations by Director of Tourism, Amelia Vanterpool-Kubisch, and Executive Director of the Anguilla Hotel and Tourism Association, Mimi Gratton.

Mrs. Parles of Strawhat and Sylvene Petty of Covecastle

Those awarded for the Cooperative Work Experience, involving the placement of students, were Covecastles, Frangipani Beach Club, Blanchards Restaurant and Strawhat Restaurant. Comprehensive School student Arthur S. Ward, won the Tourism Week Essay Competition, sponsored by the Anguilla Financial Services Association. Delroy Lake of Carimar Beach Club won the Betty Sperber/Hello Tourist Award. The Port Employees of the Year Award, sponsored by First Caribbean International Bank, went to Sheri Connor an Airport Tax Collector and Danette Webster, Immigration Officer at Blowing Point.

The Employee of the Year Award was won by Travis Simpson of Cap Juluca Resort. The Supervisor of the Year Award was won by Robert Murray of Covecastles. The sponsor was the National Bank of Anguilla. The Allied Member of the Year was National Bank sponsored by Cap Juluca. Pioneer Awards were won by Evelyn Thomas and Fitzroy ‘Johnno’ Edwards, sponsored by the Caribbean Commercial Bank. The winner of the Hotelier Award was General Manager of Cap Juluca Hotel, Eustace Guishard. The award was sponsored by Scotia Bank (Anguilla) Limited.

Awardees recognised for cultural performances

The closing remarks were delivered by President of the Anguilla Hotel and Tourism Association and Manager of Carimar Beach Resort, Fred Thompson.

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