Antigua and Barbuda moves to build new port in Barbuda to boost tourism and trade 

Antigua and Barbuda: The government of Antigua and Barbuda is advancing plans to build a new port on the island of Barbuda as part of its efforts to expand tourism and trade infrastructure on the sister island.

During the post cabinet press briefing on Thursday, Director General of Communications Maurice Merchant confirmed that the discussions have been ongoing for some time and that a possible site on the island has now been identified.

Merchant emphasized that there is a major requirement for a new port in Barbuda and further explained that it is the intention of the government to build a new port in order to enhance trade and tourism with the docking of yachts and so forth on Barbuda at a particular approved port.

He also mentioned that senior government officials recently travellers to Barbuda in order to assess the suitability of that area which was approved and added that a full report of the same is expected soon.

The Director General noted that the new facility is expected to support the island nation’s growing tourism industry which is attracting increased investment. He said that as locals already know, Barbuda has been developing by bounds and leaps and tourism is one of its significant industries there.

According to him, once the site assessment is done, the Cabinet will move forward to reviewing the design and construction options before moving ahead with this highly anticipated project.

This initiative also forms part of the government’s wider plan to boost the island’s economic base through enhanced maritime infrastructure as well as regional trade links.

With this new development in place, the island nation is poised to attract more visitors from across the world as the new port will have the capacity to handle more cruises than the usual. The development will also bring more jobs for the locals, enhancing youth development and the economy as a whole.