By Carlena Knight
As the winter tourism season kicks into gear, there is sustained optimism about the booking prospects for the Jolly Beach Resort which has long been a mainstay in the local tourism sector.
December 1st 2022 was the date given on the resort’s Facebook page for its official reopening, and while work is now underway, there are concerns about the level of interest being shown by prospective visitors.
However, according to Information Minister Melford Nicholas, the government remains quite confident that the bookings will come.
This confidence, he explained, is based on the success of the Elite Island Group with other hotels here in Antigua.
This is the same hotel chain headed by Rob Barrett that has signed on to invest in Jolly Beach’s resurgence.
“They have a track record in managing their own set of hotels, including the St James’s Club and the Verandah Resort, and they have a track record of getting warm bodies on these beds. In fact, they are one of the highest contributors to revenues that go into the coffers of the government in respect of the hotel guests tax that we achieve when people spend vacations here.
“So, they have a track record of doing it and the government is in no doubt that we have every bit of confidence reposed in Mr Barrett and his group to be able to get these beds filled during the season that will be at its height, let’s say December, January, February,” Nicholas said.
Previously, Tourism Minister Charles Fernandez sought to allay similar concerns, noting that they observed an increasing number of late bookings coming out of the Covid-19 pandemic.
This, Nicholas said, would likely continue, considering the socio-economic and political environments in source markets like the UK.
“Clearly, we have to be concerned with the challenges that the UK is facing. It is one of our largest tourism source markets and any protracted problems that they have in terms of the economy will have an impact on tourist arrivals coming out of that particular market. So, we must be concerned with respect to what’s happening in the UK and that is the reason why the diversification the Elite Group is seeking with respect to Jolly Beach and looking at Canadian tourists and other markets that we are looking to develop is going to be important.
“We are not packing our eggs into one basket,” Nicholas added.
The refurbishment of 100 rooms at the Jolly Beach Resort is said to be underway as plans gather pace to reopen the once thriving hotel next month.
Minutes released from Wednesday’s Cabinet meeting reveal that Barrett’s Elite Group is earnestly renovating the rooms slated to be ready for occupation by mid to late December.
The other rooms will continue to be refurbished until the hotel can receive as many as 400 guests, the notes said.
The resort has been closed since early 2020, thereby delivering a blow to the country’s economic mainstay.
It was once a crucial player in the tourism product being one of few places offering affordable accommodation to budget travellers.
The long-neglected beach blighted by overgrown plants and trees has also been recently cleared.