ANTIGUA (26 Sep 2008) — The significant cancellations in bookings for hotels across Antigua and Barbuda from United Kingdom (UK) tourists come as a shock to local and overseas tour operators. Although there are said to be several reasons which forced the tourists to cancel their flights to Antigua, it is believed that the fallout is directly linked to the murder of British Couple Catherine Bowen and Benjamin Mullany. They were shot in their cottage on 27 July while on their honeymoon at Cocos Hotel and Restaurant off Valley Road. General Manager of the Antigua Hotel and Tourist Association (AHTA) Neil Forrester said tour operators are currently struggling through what is described as a very difficult period since they have little or no business to depend on. Once the number of tourists is down in Antigua, it means that the number of visitors to go on tours will automatically decrease. Meanwhile, many overseas operators have been experiencing cancellations from clients and are seeing the number of passenger bookings to Antigua plummet. With September traditionally a slow season for luxury hotels, the cancellations have made matters worse. According to Forrester, the Cocos Bay Resort and Sandals Hotel were the main hotels affected as they registered significant cancellations. "A lot of things were put in place to try and prevent cancellations like not waving our penalties to cancel so as to try and get people to come," Forrester explained. He further told the SUN that it is estimated that over one million dollars worth of cancellations can be attributed to the period when the murder took place. "Other groups didn't register anything that they can directly pin back to that time," Forrester stated. "What we can't estimate is how many people are not coming to Antigua because of that. People who haven't yet booked decided to go to St. Lucia because of what they saw." Forrester still believes that there are other factors which have contributed to the cancellations. Some of which he said are the escalating fuel price and the western economy going into almost a recession. | | Honeymooners Ben and Catherine Mullany were brutally tortured and murdered in their room at the Cocos Hotel in Antigua. "The pound started losing its value, look at the mortgage crisis and the credit crunch in the UK," he stated. Minister of Tourism Harold Lovell left Antigua on Tuesday evening for the UK on a mission to continue efforts to sell Antigua and Barbuda as a safe destination. Lovell explained that the office in the UK, tourism stakeholders along with a public relations (PR) company have come up with a recovery plan. Part of this plan, he said entails meeting with tour operators, travel agents and the media. The minister said the current hotel bookings do not appear encouraging and is hoping that the recovery plan will help to bring the UK tourists numbers up to par with previous figures. The plan is formulated to carry the mainstay of the country's economy through a tough period. |
