Q & A with Haydn Hughes, Tourism Minister of Anguilla
Q & A with Haydn Hughes
Tourism Minister of Anguilla
By Yndiana Montes & Jose Carlos de Santiago
Though being one of the smallest Caribbean islands, with barely 14,000 inhabitants, Anguilla develops a travel industry that takes full advantage of its breathtaking beaches and natural beauties, always with a view in mind toward high-end tourism. Mr. Hughes talked exclusively with Caribbean News Digital on the steps his island nation is now taking on the road to sustainable development, increasing ties with the Latin American markets and other interesting topics.
Q: Why did you decide to attend STC-12 because we haven’t seen many ministers around here in this conference?
A: Well, last year in Barbados we held a conference of tourism ministers and a good number of my colleagues did attend that meeting. It was such a great conference. However, I’m glad I came here, even though not many ministers have come, because the information here has been quite useful for our government to empower its own tourism policies.
Q: So, we might say you have learned by attending this conference, is that right?
A: Absolutely. You come and learn and then you go back home and you try to implement as many of the policies as possible. Even though our government is fully aware of all these regional policies, our island nation is now involved in a Master Plan to guide our tourism products for the next ten years. We have hired a UK company to help us piece together this Master Plan and we’ve already begun working on that.
Q: Is Anguilla a sustainable travel destination?
A: Of course. We’re even working on a plan to save energy in Anguilla. We recently had talks with Robert Kennedy Jr., the son of the late Robert Kennedy, who was on vacations in Anguilla and we had the chance to discuss with him the possibility of implementing renewable energy on the island and our policies to move forward with those plans. We have also met with the Clinton Foundation to discuss about renewable energy sources, soils and production. So, we’re already moving forward to implement those policies.
Q: How long have you been in your position as tourism minister?
A: Since February 2010.
Q: How is the travel industry evolving in Anguilla? How many guestrooms do you have on the island right now and how many will there be by the time you wrap up your term in office?
A: Right now we have in total around 1,200 rooms, and that includes villas, hotel rooms and guesthouses. We have a plan to add 100 more rooms in the near future.
Q: Are you looking for the development of massive tourism in Anguilla?
A: No, not at all. We just want to keep the quality of our tourism product, and that’s what’s actually important to us. We have four or five hotels on the island, plus a number of smaller properties that provide top-of-the-line service. Anguilla is well known for its food and its people, its beaches and its rivers.
Q: What major events do you hold on the island?
A: We have a jazz festival every year and a number of other events that draw many visitors. We’ll have the carnival coming up in August of this year, which is always a celebration for the emancipation from slavery. And we have the Festival of the Sea, which is a local event but tourists are welcomed to join and enjoy the celebration. In this event we do all the traditional cooking and show how we used to cook many years ago. There are cooking and fishing contests and competitions, everything related to the sea.
Q: What do you make of the new markets, like Spain and Latin America?
A: Oh, the Latino market and the Spanish market are there and are very important. Quite recently we welcomed over two dozen tour operators on Anguillan shores and they really enjoyed our country. There were travel agents and tour operators from Mexico, Uruguay, Paraguay, Brazil –which is a great market- Venezuela, Argentina –another big market for Anguilla- and many others. They had a real good impression of Anguilla. We hope to have tourists coming in from those Latin American nations very soon.
Q: What about Spain? Do you attend FITUR?
A: No, but we are exploring the Spanish market. We know Spaniards like traveling to all-inclusive properties, and in Anguilla we don’t have all-inclusive properties. That’s a challenge I believe we’ll have to overcome somewhere into the future.
Q: What about Mexico?
A: We don’t have many Mexican tourists, but we expect to welcome more in coming years.
Q: How easy is the airlift between St. Martin and Anguilla?
A: It’s really easy. It’s just a 5-minute flight between both destinations. Tourists can rely on a couple of local airlines that serve those destinations. They are quick, efficient and hassle-free.
Q: How is Anguilla dealing with climate change and beach erosion?
A: That’s a challenge. For those who don’t believe in climate change, a visit to the Caribbean can actually make them change their minds. There’s been significant beach erosion on the Caribbean beaches over the past 10 to 12 years, a kind of erosion that was not there before. We’ve been trying to rebuild the beaches through dredging. That might sound controversial, but we need to protect the environment. That’s what we’re embarked on doing.
