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Senator Alex Browne, the UPP’s caretaker for St Phillips North has expressed his concern over the Gaston Browne Administration’s last-minute preparations for the Small Island Developing States (SIDS4) conference.
The conference is scheduled to take place in May and is expected to host over 3,500 delegates, including heads of state and government from across the world.
However, the island nation of Antigua and Barbuda is facing a significant challenge as it lacks the hotel-room capacity to accommodate such a large number of people.
Initially, the government intended to consider cruise ships as an alternative accommodation option but, due to the high cost involved, it has decided to pursue other alternatives.
Senator Browne is disappointed that the government has not yet finalized the details of the accommodation arrangements.
“This was one of the first things that should have been done and dusted is to ensure the people have rooms and reservations. We are talking about heads of states and dignitaries from all over the world,” he said
He believes that this should have been one of the primary considerations once the number of attendees was confirmed.
With more than two decades of experience in the tourism sector, he emphasizes that delegates should have already booked their reservations at hotels where they plan to stay.
The senator acknowledges the significance of this conference for the country; however, he fears that the government’s poor management could ruin this opportunity.
Senator Browne has expressed his disappointment at the government’s last-minute decision to abandon the cruise-ship option.
He believes that the administration should have already sorted out the accommodations, given the high caliber of delegates expected on the island.
Furthermore, he suggests that the government should conduct mock demonstrations or simulations of the conference’s proceedings to ensure that everything runs smoothly come the end of May.
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