Black Immigrant Daily News

The Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority is upping its presence in Germany in a drive to reinstate airlift and increase tourism arrivals from the European market.

CEO of the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority, Colin C. James, UK & Europe Director of Tourism Cherrie Osborne travelled to Germany, for ITB Berlin, the first edition of the exhibition since the pandemic. ITB Berlin, is the world’s largest tourism and travel trade fair.

Germany is Europe’s largest travel market. With the Caribbean being Germany’s third most popular long-haul destination after the Indian Ocean and USA, ABTA CEO Colin C. James said, “the Tourism Authority’s is prioritizing increasing lift from this region, in order to benefit from the market’s strong economy, and the high consumer demand.”

“In 2022, 21% of arrivals into Antigua and Barbuda came from Europe with at least 5% from the German speaking markets with a further 56,000 or 15% of our cruise arrivals from Germany alone.”

“There is great consumer interest in Germany for Antigua and Barbuda. We have increased our marketing presence in the market and are confident that with the needed airlift we will be in a better position to grow the market substantially”, the ABTA CEO said.

During the show, the team conducted highly productive meetings with Condor, Eurowings, KLM and NEOS to discuss the future possibilities of flights to the destination for the winter 2023/2024 season. The discussions are ongoing with positive results to be announced.

The team also conducted a series of trade and consumer media interviews and re-engaged major tour operators such as DER Touristik and FTI to continue to raise the awareness of the destination’s commitment to marketing initiatives.

“Antigua and Barbuda is working assiduously to grow its European market post pandemic, which will help to compliment the business coming out of the UK. It’s well known that Europeans travel for a minimum of ten to fourteen nights and prop up the summer business”, said Director of Tourism UK and Europe Cherrie Osborne.

The Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority was joined by private sector partners including Cocos, Elite Islands Resorts, HBK Villas, Blue Sea Latin American Traveller as well as Economic Envoy Ralf Hansen and Ambassador-at-Large Bert Kirchner.

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Just days after celebrating Commonwealth Day, sixty young leaders from across the Commonwealth had a chance to speak directly with a group of Foreign Affairs Ministers and High Commissioners from Commonwealth member states at an event in London.

The event, Democracy Today in the Commonwealth: Enhancing Youth Political Participation in Governance, led to an engaging debate about the future of democracy and what initiatives may help to increase youth involvement in politics.

Held at the Commonwealth Secretariat headquarters, Marlborough House in London, the event brought the youth together with the Commonwealth Foreign Ministers and High Commissioners who had been attending the Commonwealth Foreign Affairs Ministers Meeting in London on Wednesday 15 March.

During the event, the youth leaders and the Government representatives reflected on the Commonwealth’s work in promoting democracy and good governance in member states and explored the young leaders’ perspectives on democracy, governance and political participation in the Commonwealth.

They also discussed practical recommendations to encourage young people’s participation in the civil and political life of member states. Some of the recommendations included an expansion of youth parliaments, the development of youth advisory councils, young people forming their own political parties and harnessing their political power to fight for greater gender inclusion. Also discussed was increased inclusion of people with disabilities and the issue of voting rights for the diaspora.

The youth leaders had an opportunity to engage with the Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland KC, who commented on how heartening it was to spend time with the young people of the Commonwealth and she reinforced their importance to the future of the political landscape.

The Secretary-General said: “Young people are the largest demographic group in many countries, and in our Commonwealth as a whole. So it is vital that we work together to help equip young people with the skills and knowledge to participate effectively in the democratic processes, and to ensure their views are embraced.”

She added: “It is not enough to simply provide opportunities for young people to participate in the democratic process. We must also ensure that their voices are heard and their contributions are valued. This requires a genuine and meaningful commitment from governments, civil society, and other stakeholders to really engage with young people and take their concerns seriously.”

This event is just one of a number of initiatives to mark the Year of the Youth, which was agreed to at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in 2022.

Head of Social Policy Development at the Commonwealth Secretariat, Layne Robinson, who coordinated the event, was pleased with the event’s outcome. He said: “Many of the young people here are already involved in the democracies in their countries. As one of the drivers of good governance and electoral in our member countries, it is imperative that the Secretariat play a role in the next generation of change-makers and defenders of good practices.”

The dialogue was part of a two-week Commonwealth Youth Leadership Summit, which aimed to upskill these young leaders, give them a chance to collaborate and build their networks. The leadership summit is one of the landmark activities to mark the Year of the Youth. The Year of the Youth celebrated the 10th anniversary of the Commonwealth Charter and the 50th anniversary of the Commonwealth Youth Programme.

In London, Commonwealth Day was marked on 13 March with a series of events, including a wreath-laying ceremony in memory of fallen Commonwealth servicemen and women, followed by a special service at Westminster Abbey and a reception for visiting dignitaries hosted at Buckingham Palace. Commonwealth Day was also celebrated in member countries with activities including flag-raisings, religious services and other commemorative activities.

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Black Immigrant Daily News

Dr Irfaan Ali said that Guyana’s forests are not just standing trees, but important global assets that provide “global services”.

To this extent, he said that Guyana is “very pleased” to sign a four-year EUR5m grant (approximately GY$1.1b) with the European Union (EU) for the sustainability of the country’s forests and forest-dependent communities.

At Wednesday’s official announcement and press briefing at State House, the President said that “it is only fair that the forests earn for the country and the people who ensure that it stays intact in support of those global services”.

He explained that Guyana is also working to provide global leadership on sustainable forest management and is looking to provide a practical example to the world on how the environment, forests, freshwater, and biodiversity must be safeguarded to sustain life.

“We also look to develop new ways of incentivising the global fight to safeguard forests. The main actions identified to be advanced by this cooperation will look to strengthen sustainable livelihoods in forest communities and enhance knowledge and capacity for sustainable use and supply of nature-based goods and services.”

Guyana’s forests, as they stand are estimated to store more than 19.5 gigatons of carbon dioxide with the capacity to remove 154 million tonnes more every year from the atmosphere.

This, the President said, shows that Guyana’s forests provide vital ecosystem and environmental services to the world.

During the press briefing, the Deputy Secretary-General of the European Union External Action Service, Helena K?nig, praised Guyana for its “historically low deforestation rates”.

She explained that Guyana is the only country in the world in which the EU has signed both the Forest Law Enforcement Governance and Trade Voluntary Partnership Agreement–FLEGT, and the Forest Partnership Memorandum of Understanding.

DELICATE BALANCE

The President also outlined that over the years, Guyana has found a “very delicate” balance in the development and advancement of forest-dependent communities in the context of sustainable forest management.

He noted that sustainable livelihoods sit at the heart of this endeavour.

“When we create the opportunities for people, for economic advancement, and social upliftment, we provide them with resources to make decisions to safeguard the environment and protect forests.”

He said that Guyanese should never “undervalue our contribution and our record in terms of deforestation rates. That is not by accident; that is by deliberate planning, deliberate policy and a strong understanding of the role of forests in today’s environment and in the fight against climate change”.

The President said that the partnership between Guyana, the EU and by extension the France Development Agency (AFD) and the World Wildlife Foundation (WWF) Guianas underpins the focus on what works and moves to create practical solutions to development challenges.

It was also pointed out that forest-dependent communities have already outlined their village sustainability plans. These, he said, will be complemented and augmented with the project so that they align closely with the country’s Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS).

Moving forward, he explained that all actions carried out under the project are expected to be done in close coordination with national institutions and local partners, such as the National Toshaos Council to maximise the benefits of significant resources already invested at the community level.

President Ali also praised the partnership between the EU and Guyana and said that they are working together for global sustainability.

This project, which is a flagship project of the EU’s Global Gateway strategy, will also benefit Suriname, which is expected to receive a similar grant.

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