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标签： Antigua and Barbuda

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  • Antigua and Barbuda nominated for Caribbean’s Best Emerging Culinary City Destination 2026

    Antigua and Barbuda nominated for Caribbean’s Best Emerging Culinary City Destination 2026

    Building on a successful 2025 victory in the same global competition, Antigua and Barbuda has earned a second consecutive nomination for the coveted title of Caribbean’s Best Emerging Culinary City Destination 2026 from the World Culinary Awards, cementing its growing reputation as a rising global food tourism hotspot.

    This latest nomination places the twin-island Caribbean nation alongside a select group of international destinations recognized by the World Culary Awards for their expanding culinary appeal, unwavering commitment to culinary excellence, deliberate innovation, and dedication to delivering authentic, culture-forward dining experiences. The award category specifically highlights destinations that have strategically leveraged local food culture as a core driver of tourism, drawing international travelers who prioritize unique, culturally immersive culinary adventures over generic dining experiences.

    Shermain Jeremey, lead for Antigua and Barbuda Culinary Month at the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority, emphasized the significance of the repeat nomination for the destination. “As Antigua and Barbuda continues to elevate and expand its culinary tourism product, this nomination reinforces our position as a must-visit destination for food lovers worldwide,” Jeremey said.

    She added that a second consecutive win would carry meaningful weight for the nation’s culinary identity: “To win this award for a second year would signal that the destination is not only offering high-quality cuisine but is also developing a strong culinary identity rooted in local culture, traditions, and creativity.”

    Public voting for the 2026 World Culinary Awards officially opened on June 25 and will remain open to voters globally through August 14, 2026.

    Media inquiries about the nomination and Antigua and Barbuda’s culinary tourism initiatives can be directed to Maria Blackman or Kayla Christian, both representatives of the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority.

  • Four CARICOM Economies Earned More From the World Than They Spent in 2025

    Four CARICOM Economies Earned More From the World Than They Spent in 2025

    New 2025 economic data compiled from the International Monetary Fund’s April 2026 World Economic Outlook shows a stark divide across the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) bloc: just four of its 14 member states recorded current account surpluses, meaning they earned more revenue from global markets and cross-border transactions than they spent on foreign goods, services and transfers. The remaining ten nations ran sustained current account deficits, a pattern that has become the norm for most small, open economies in the region. For context, a country’s current account balance aggregates the total value of its exports of goods and services, cross-border income flows such as remittances, and subtracts total spending on imports and outgoing international transfers. A surplus signals a net positive inflow of foreign currency, while a deficit means the country spends more abroad than it brings in.

    Among the four surplus economies, Guyana stands out as the clear leader, posting a current account surplus equal to 12.9% of its total gross domestic product, fueled almost entirely by booming crude oil exports that have transformed the small Caribbean nation’s economic profile in recent years. Next in line is Trinidad and Tobago, another regional energy powerhouse, which recorded a smaller but still solid surplus of 3.1% of GDP, driven by its long-standing oil and natural gas export sectors. The two remaining surpluses are far more modest, and rely on very different economic drivers: Haiti’s surplus comes almost exclusively from remittances sent home by Haitians living and working abroad, while Jamaica’s surplus is supported by a combination of remittances and international tourism revenue.

    For the other ten CARICOM members, current account deficits are the status quo, with the gaps between foreign earnings and spending covered by a mix of international tourism receipts and foreign direct investment. Belize recorded the smallest deficit among the group, at just 3.5% of GDP, a relatively manageable gap for the small tourism-dependent economy. At the opposite end of the spectrum, two nations posted extremely deep deficits: Dominica recorded a deficit equal to 38% of GDP, while Suriname’s deficit hit 53% of GDP. Importantly, CARISTATS notes these large deficits do not signal economic distress in either country: both stems from heavy capital spending on imported infrastructure and energy development equipment, financed by large inflows of foreign capital that offset the current account gap.

    The overall trend underscores a long-standing structural divide across the CARICOM bloc: the only economies that consistently earn more from the world than they spend are those with abundant energy reserves to export or those that rely heavily on remittances from overseas workers, while the majority of member states, most of which depend on tourism as their primary foreign exchange earner, continue to import more goods and services than they generate from international activity. This data release comes from independent regional statistics project CARISTATS, which publishes its economic analysis for free to the public. The organization has called for voluntary future subscription pledges from readers who value its work, with no charges applied until payment systems are formally activated.

  • Antigua and Barbuda to Benefit from Donation of Eye Care Equipment from He Vision Group

    Antigua and Barbuda to Benefit from Donation of Eye Care Equipment from He Vision Group

    A new strategic philanthropic partnership has been struck between Antigua and Barbuda’s Ministry of Health, Wellness, Environment and Civil Service Affairs and China’s He Vision Group, formalizing a donation of specialized eye care equipment designed to elevate the Caribbean nation’s ophthalmic care infrastructure.

    The agreement was cemented during an official working meeting attended by key stakeholders from both sides. Attendees included Hon. Michael Joseph, Minister of Health, Wellness, Environment and Civil Service Affairs of Antigua and Barbuda; Dr. He Wei, founder of He Vision Group; Helen Yan, Assistant to the President of He Vision Group and Director of the company’s Social Responsibility Department; alongside H.E. Clement Antonio, Antigua and Barbuda’s Ambassador to China, and H.E. Ian Marshall, Grenada’s Ambassador to China.

    Currently, the donated equipment is in the final preparation phase before being shipped to Antigua and Barbuda. Once it arrives and is deployed, it is projected to significantly expand the country’s ability to deliver high-quality specialized eye care, broadening access to critical diagnostic tools and treatment options for local patients who previously faced gaps in care.

    Minister Joseph opened up about the value of this collaboration, extending sincere gratitude to He Vision Group for its dedication to advancing local healthcare development in Antigua and Barbuda. “This partnership marks a meaningful milestone in strengthening eye care services across our national healthcare system,” Joseph stated. “We are deeply thankful to He Vision Group for this generous gift, and we eagerly await the arrival of the equipment, which will directly help drive better eye health outcomes for all people of Antigua and Barbuda.”

    He Vision Group has earned global recognition for its decades-long impact across the ophthalmic sector. The firm operates an extensive global network of specialized hospitals, cutting-edge research institutions, and professional medical training programs, with core focuses on advancing ophthalmic innovation, medical education, and global blindness prevention initiatives.

    Moving forward, Antigua and Barbuda’s Ministry of Health plans to maintain long-term collaborative engagement with He Vision Group. Both parties share a common goal of continuously improving eye health services and expanding equitable access to high-quality healthcare for all residents of Antigua and Barbuda.

  • Man Urinates on Treasury Desk During Back Pay Dispute

    Man Urinates on Treasury Desk During Back Pay Dispute

    In a stern rebuke of unacceptable harassment targeting public workers, Director General of Communications Maurice Merchant has issued a strong condemnation of abusive and threatening behavior directed at employees of the national Treasury, as the agency works through a massive backlog of outstanding back-pay claims for public servants.

    Speaking at the post-Cabinet media briefing held Thursday, Merchant clarified that despite widespread public frustration over delayed payments and perceived shortcomings in customer service, Treasury staff have been pushing forward with extraordinary effort, even putting in extra hours on weekends to fulfill the government’s financial commitments to eligible workers. He noted that one recent incident crossed all lines of acceptable public conduct, after an individual unhappy with the update they received on their back-pay claim allegedly urinated on a workspace inside the Treasury building and issued threats to return with a weapon.

    Merchant emphasized that this kind of aggression has no place in interactions with public employees, and appealed to the public for patience as the Treasury and relevant line ministries work systematically to resolve every outstanding claim. He addressed a widespread misconception about the processing delays, explaining that the government has already allocated the full funds required for the back payments; delays stem not from a lack of available money, but from the mandatory administrative protocols that must be followed to ensure accurate disbursement.

    He further explained that some claims are delayed because eligible workers were accidentally left off initial back-pay rosters, but the correct path to resolution is to follow the established administrative chain of inquiry: questions should first be raised with the applicant’s employing ministry, which then submits corrected information to the Treasury for processing.

    While Merchant openly acknowledged that members of the public have legitimate concerns about customer service standards across the public sector, he stressed that no grievance, no matter how valid, can justify violence, intimidation or abusive treatment of staff carrying out their duties. He closed by urging all residents to practice patience and maintain good decorum when engaging with public workers, noting that government employees deserve humane respect even as the agency works to clear the backlog of unpaid claims.

  • Saleim Harrigan Sentenced to Life in Prison for Nigel Christian Murder

    Saleim Harrigan Sentenced to Life in Prison for Nigel Christian Murder

    One of the highest-profile criminal cases in Antigua and Barbuda’s recent judicial history has reached its conclusion, with Saleim Harrigan handed a mandatory life sentence for the 2020 kidnapping and fatal shooting of senior customs official Nigel Christian. Handing down the ruling at the High Court on Thursday, Justice determined Harrigan will not be eligible to apply for parole until he has completed a minimum 40-year term behind bars. The court confirmed that the time Harrigan has already spent in remand custody will be credited toward his sentence. Harrigan was formally found guilty of Christian’s murder earlier in 2024, more than three years after the crime shook the small Caribbean nation. Prosecutors successfully convinced the jury of the details of the killing: Christian was forcibly taken from his private residence in the McKinnons neighborhood, and his body, bearing multiple gunshot wounds, was subsequently recovered in the Thibou’s area. Two other men, Wayne Thomas and Lasean Bully, who stood trial alongside Harrigan as co-accused in the case, were cleared of all charges earlier in the court proceedings. The brazen killing of a sitting public official sparked intense public outcry across Antigua and Barbuda, turning the trial into one of the most widely followed and debated criminal cases in the country’s recent history. Legal observers note that the final sentence closes a chapter on one of the most significant homicide prosecutions Antigua and Barbuda has conducted in over a decade.

  • Cabinet Approves EC$5 Million Academic Block for Sir Novelle Richards Academy

    Cabinet Approves EC$5 Million Academic Block for Sir Novelle Richards Academy

    In a move aimed at addressing rising student enrollment and advancing long-term educational development goals, the Cabinet of Antigua and Barbuda has given formal approval for a EC$5 million investment to build a brand-new academic wing at Sir Novelle Richards Academy. Construction is scheduled to wrap up in time for the first day of the 2024 September school year, enabling students and educators to access the improved facilities immediately after the summer break.

    Director General of Communications Maurice Merchant shared details of the approved project during a post-Cabinet press briefing held this Thursday, outlining that the investment forms a core part of the national government’s ongoing commitment to expanding and upgrading public education infrastructure across the country.

    The new purpose-built academic block will add much-needed general classrooms alongside purpose-built specialized learning spaces, designed to accommodate the school’s steadily growing student body. Beyond simply adding capacity, the facility is engineered to raise the overall standard of teaching and learning by giving educators more flexible, functional space to deliver modern curricula.

    This education-focused investment is not an isolated project: it runs in tandem with the ongoing redevelopment of the nearby Potter’s Sports Field, which is currently being converted into a full-service multi-sport complex. The upgraded recreational facility will feature an Olympic-size swimming pool and dedicated venues for a wide range of athletic disciplines, and will serve multiple nearby educational institutions beyond Sir Novelle Richards Academy, including Potter’s Primary School and the Harrison Centre for Continuing Education.

    Merchant emphasized that the government frames the new academic block as a critical component of a larger, strategic push to align educational infrastructure with the rapid pace of local community growth and ongoing investments in youth development programming. “Ensuring our young people have access to safe, functional, modern learning spaces is a top priority,” Merchant noted, adding that the timeline for construction remains on track to welcome students when the new academic term gets underway in September.

  • Potter’s Sports Complex to Get Olympic-Size Swimming Pool

    Potter’s Sports Complex to Get Olympic-Size Swimming Pool

    In a landmark decision that signals a major investment in the nation’s sporting future, the Cabinet of Antigua and Barbuda has given formal approval to a sweeping expansion of the ongoing Potter’s Sports Field Redevelopment Project, scrapping earlier plans for a half Olympic-sized swimming pool in favor of a world-class aquatic facility built to host elite regional and international competitions.

    The approval was officially announced to reporters Thursday during the regular post-Cabinet media briefing by Maurice Merchant, the country’s Director General of Communications. Merchant emphasized that the Cabinet’s endorsement of the expanded project aligns directly with the government’s core commitments to youth development, expanded community recreational access, and the cultivation of international-level sporting excellence across Antigua and Barbuda.

    Work has already been underway to reimagine the existing Potter’s Sports Field into a sprawling, inclusive multi-sport complex that caters to a wide range of athletic interests. Under current construction plans, the site will already feature dedicated courts and fields for basketball, netball, volleyball, pickleball, baseball, football and cricket, alongside a purpose-built recreational play area for young children. Originally, the project’s amenities were set to include only a half Olympic-sized swimming pool paired with a smaller instructional pool designed for beginner swim lessons.

    However, Cabinet members determined that the ongoing redevelopment presented a one-time opportunity to create a transformative, globally competitive aquatic venue that would serve the nation for decades to come. The revised blueprint calls for a 50m by 25m full Olympic-sized competition pool, a dedicated warm-down pool for competing athletes, a 750-seat spectator grandstand, modern changing facilities, and all supporting infrastructure constructed to meet strict international competition standards.

    In addition to approving the upgraded aquatic facility, Cabinet also greenlit the transfer of adjacent Crown lands to the project, expanding the total footprint of the sports complex to accommodate the larger venue, expanded visitor parking, accessible pedestrian walkways, public concession areas, and all other auxiliary amenities required to host large-scale sporting events. During the post-briefing question-and-answer session, Merchant clarified that the original half-pool plan has been fully discontinued, making way for the upgraded national-standard facility.

    Merchant also confirmed that the expanded project integrates long-discussed plans for a national aquatic centre, addressing public concerns about budget reallocation by noting that no funding has been diverted from other existing government projects. Instead, the government is securing dedicated additional financing specifically earmarked for the expansion of the Potter’s Sports Field redevelopment.

    Officials project that the upgraded facility will do more than just expand local recreational options: it will position Antigua and Barbuda as a premier host destination for top regional and international aquatic events, including the CARIFTA swimming championships and other major competitive meets. Beyond boosting the nation’s sporting profile, the project is expected to strengthen local athlete development pathways for competitive swimmers and drive sustained economic activity through growing sports tourism, as visitors travel to the country to attend elite competitions.

  • US$9 Million Grant to Fund Dams and Water Catchment Projects Across Antigua and Barbuda

    US$9 Million Grant to Fund Dams and Water Catchment Projects Across Antigua and Barbuda

    Antigua and Barbuda’s government has secured a $9 million international grant to build out critical water conservation infrastructure, a cornerstone policy initiative aimed at shoring up national food security and scaling up domestic agricultural output across the twin-island nation. The funding commitment was formally unveiled this Thursday at a post-Cabinet press briefing, following an update to the country’s Cabinet from Agriculture Minister Anthony Smith Jr. on the details of the financing package.

    The grant is channeled through the Caribbean Development Bank, under the Food and Agriculture Organization’s dedicated Soil and Water Management Programme, a regional initiative focused on boosting climate-resilient agricultural practices across Caribbean small island developing states. Maurice Merchant, Director General of Communications for the government, outlined that the financing will go toward developing dams, water catchment ponds, and other high-priority soil and water management assets distributed across Antigua and Barbuda.

    Merchant emphasized that this infrastructure project is a core plank of the administration’s broader national strategy to grow domestic food output, shore up water access for independent and smallholder farmers, and cut the agricultural sector’s heavy dependence on costly desalinated water for crop irrigation. “This initiative is set to meaningfully expand the country’s total irrigation capacity and deliver far more consistent, reliable water access to farming communities, especially when the nation faces drought conditions or extended dry seasons,” Merchant explained during the briefing.

    To date, government planning teams have already finalized site selection for 10 new water storage facilities: eight locations earmarked for standard-sized dams, and two additional sites designated for large-scale “super dam” construction. Once completed, these interconnected facilities will form a unified national agricultural water storage network that captures and retains rainwater for use by the farming sector, drastically boosting the resilience of Antigua and Barbuda’s agricultural industry amid growing patterns of aridity linked to climate change.

    Administration officials project that this targeted infrastructure investment will strengthen the country’s long-term food security framework by guaranteeing farmers a consistent, dependable supply of irrigation water, while simultaneously cutting operational production costs that come from purchasing expensive desalinated water for agricultural use. The $9 million grant stands as one of the largest recent investments in Antigua and Barbuda’s agricultural water infrastructure, aligning with the government’s ongoing policy priorities of expanding domestic food production and building national climate resilience across key economic sectors.

  • Coast Guard Details Search and Recovery of Man at Pigeon Point Beach

    Coast Guard Details Search and Recovery of Man at Pigeon Point Beach

    A multi-agency search operation carried out by Antigua and Barbuda’s maritime law enforcement teams ended in tragedy Thursday morning, when divers recovered the body of a 56-year-old male swimmer from the waters off Pigeon Point Beach. According to official timelines, the incident began on the afternoon of Wednesday, June 24, when the victim entered the marked swim area for a recreational swim.

    Witnesses on the shore told first responders that they spotted the man struggling in the water close to the edge of the designated swimming zone before he vanished beneath the surface, with no further sightings after that point. Immediately after receiving the missing person report, the Antigua and Barbuda Defence Force Coast Guard mobilized its search and rescue assets, launching a coordinated operation with three partner groups: the Antigua Barbuda Search and Rescue unit, the Royal Police Force of Antigua and Barbuda, and experienced local recreational divers based in the surrounding area.

    Search teams carried out an extensive sweep of the seabed near the last reported location of the swimmer, but progress was severely hampered by extremely low underwater visibility. With conditions making it impossible to safely continue the operation on Wednesday afternoon, rescue commanders made the call to suspend the search, scheduling it to resume at first light the next day.

    When divers returned to the site shortly after 6:00 a.m. on Thursday, June 25, they quickly located and recovered the victim’s body. The remains were transferred to the Coast Guard’s main headquarters at Deep Water Harbour, where a district medical official officially pronounced the man dead at 8:22 a.m. In the aftermath of the recovery, senior leadership of the ABDF Coast Guard released a statement offering heartfelt condolences to the victim’s family and loved ones, expressing the service’s hope that the family would find the resilience and comfort needed to navigate this devastating loss.

  • Government Backs EC$40 Million Public-Private Hotel Project at Yepton’s

    Government Backs EC$40 Million Public-Private Hotel Project at Yepton’s

    Antigua and Barbuda’s government has given the green light to an innovative public-private partnership initiative that will develop a new beachfront hotel at Yepton, marking a strategic policy shift to expand domestic ownership of the country’s critical tourism sector. The government will commit up to EC$40 million to the project alongside local private investors and funding from the nation’s well-established Citizenship by Investment Programme, in a framework officials are framing as a new template for inclusive tourism growth.

    Maurice Merchant, Director General of Communications, unveiled the Cabinet’s approval during a post-Cabinet media briefing held Thursday. He detailed that the 4-star-caliber hotel development will occupy roughly 15 acres of prime beachfront real estate at the Yepton location, a site positioned to draw both international leisure travelers and regional visitors.

    Under the agreed investment structure, the national government, in partnership with select state-owned enterprises and statutory corporations, will contribute the maximum EC$40 million public sector allocation. Local private investors will supply additional private capital, with one domestic backer already having finalized a commitment of EC$20 million to the project. Merchant highlighted this early commitment as a powerful vote of confidence in Antigua and Barbuda’s long-term tourism growth trajectory, even as global travel markets continue to evolve post-pandemic.

    Additional project financing will be sourced from the Citizenship by Investment Programme, a longstanding government mechanism that channels external investment into high-priority national development projects across the twin-island nation. Merchant emphasized that expanding local ownership and grassroots participation in the tourism industry stands as a core enduring policy objective for the current administration.

    As the backbone of Antigua and Barbuda’s national economy, tourism contributes the largest share of annual GDP and employment to the country. However, Merchant explained that the government has long prioritized shifting the current market dynamics to ensure a greater portion of the billions in annual tourism revenue stays within the domestic economy, delivering direct, tangible benefits to all citizens of Antigua and Barbuda, rather than flowing exclusively to external stakeholders.

    Following the formal announcement, Merchant addressed questions from reporters, clarifying key details of the investment structure. He confirmed that all capital contributions from state-owned entities and statutory corporations will be held as assets by those public institutions, mirroring the structure used for previous government-supported tourism development projects across the country. He also pushed back against early misinterpretation, noting that the EC$40 million figure solely reflects the public sector’s total contribution. The entire project will be funded through a blended mix of public investment, local private capital, and Citizenship by Investment Programme funding, creating a diversified financial foundation that spreads risk across stakeholders.

    Industry analysts note that the new model could serve as a blueprint for future tourism developments across the Caribbean, where increasing domestic ownership of key tourism assets has emerged as a shared policy goal across many small island developing states looking to maximize economic benefits from their natural coastal assets.