The Tourism Authority wants more money

The Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority wants more money for marketing the destination, but the government has not determined where it will find the money.
Information minister Melford Nicholas says the ABTA needs an additional 10 million dollars a year for promotion.
Last year the ABTA got injections from the Citizenship by investment Unit. But this year, they’re not so lucky.
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Nicholas says the ABTA and the government are considering going to banks for the needed cash.
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This year’s tourism arrival has dipped by around 6 per cent compared to last year’s numbers.
The ABTA says there is a direct correlation between the amount spent on promotion and the number of stay-over arrivals.
In January, Senior Minister and former Prime Minister Sir Lester Bird criticized the Prime Minister’s budget for giving too little to tourism.
Browne reassured Sir Lester that money would be available from the CIP.