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Staff cuts at Observer Newsco
Newsco, owners of the Daily Observer and Observer Radio is laying off staff. A company source says approximately seven staff, mainly from the news department had their last day on Friday. The company has also warned of more cuts as its financial position cannot support the payroll. Newsco, now managed Alrgernon ‘Serpent’ Watts and Dave…
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‘Sun sea safe’ badge launched for tourism sector businesses
The Antigua and Barbuda Ministry of Tourism, Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority (ABTA), and Antigua Barbuda Hotels and Tourism Association (ABHTA) has announced the tagline ‘Sun Sea Safe’ for the destination’s Covid-19 certification program. ‘Sun Sea Safe’ will feature prominently on an attractive new badge created by the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority for tourism…
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Antigua PM talks CoinGeek Live 2020 watch party experience
Antigua & Barbuda is gunning to become a global digital currency hub, Prime Minister Gaston Browne has confirmed. Browne talked to CoinGeek during a watch party held in the island nation for CoinGeek Live 2020, revealing his government’s efforts and how he believes the nation will benefit from blockchain integration. Antigua & Barbuda passed the Digital Asset Business…
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US Embassy resumes routine tourist and business visa services
The Consular Section of the United States Embassy in Barbados will resume routine tourist and business visa services in the B1/B2 visa category beginning Monday, Nov. 16, with the next available open appointments beginning on Tuesday, Dec. 1. Persons are asked to note that applicants residing outside of Barbados who wish to schedule in-person interviews,…
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PM defends symbolic LIAT flight saying promotion received justifies cost
Prime Minister Gaston Browne has dismissed suggestions that the November 1 LIAT flight from Antigua to Dominica cost $150,000 and was a waste of money. The Independence Day flight was the first in six months for the Antigua-based airline after its entire fleet was grounded and almost all its employees at all levels laid off…
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Lockdown in paradise: Antigua’s plea for visitors
Dickenson Bay, Antigua – Osmilta Prince sits on a rock beneath a palm tree, her homemade mask covering her face. By her feet, is a basket of handmade shell bracelets and calabash bowls. Close by, a laminated sign reads: “Stay Apart 6 feet – or 9½ coconuts”. By this time of day, the 48-year-old single…
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Opting out of CARICOM travel bubble could affect LIAT’s efforts to resume operations – Nicholas
A number of countries are opting out of the travel bubble and news from St Johns is that it could affect LIAT’s intended recommencement of flights on November 08, 2020. It was last month that CARICOM heads of government agreed that they would allow persons traveling within CARICOM states to avoid weeks of quarantine once…
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Wadadli Cargo plans to operate 737 aircraft by next year
Antigua-based Wadadli Cargo plans to begin operations with a 737-800F and an ATR 72-200F in the second half of 2021, becoming Antigua and Barbuda’s only cargo carrier. The startup told Cargo Facts it has no plans to obtain its own air operator’s certificate (AOC), and will therefore hand the aircraft over to a CMI operator.…
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PM: Change in corporate culture needed to boost LIAT’s efficiency
Prime Minister Gaston Browne is of the belief that an adjustment to the corporate culture at regional airline LIAT will result in greater efficiency and increased sustainability going forward. The company has rebounded somewhat from the threat of liquidation and is currently in the midst of a restructuring project, aimed at returning the airline to…
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Antigua Barbuda Tourism Authority wins gold for digital marketing campaign: ‘Your Space in the Sun’
The Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority’s creativity during the Covid-19 pandemic and response to consumers growing demand for space, has been recognized and awarded by the Travel Weekly Magellan Awards. The Magellan ‘Travel Destinations’ Gold Award went to the Tourism Authority’s destination marketing campaign ‘Your Space in the Sun” launched in July. The Travel Weekly Magellan Awards…
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Tourism sector feeling effects of COVID’s 2nd wave
The resurgence of the COVID-19 virus in the major tourism source markets for Antigua and Barbuda is already being felt in the local tourism sector. General Manager of the Blue Waters Hotel and former President of the Hotel Association, Alex De Brito, has reported that most hotels began to reopen from October 15 with the…