Hotel bookings in Antigua and Barbuda skyrocketing as demand increases

The tourism sector in the Caribbean is slowly coming back to life. The government of Antigua and Barbuda stated that for June and July, all hotels are booked at 70 to 80 percent of their capacities.

In a cabinet meeting on Thursday, the Minister of Tourism, Charles 'Max' Fernandez, stated that this season appears to be extremely busy for the hotel and hospitality industry in general.

"The winter tourism season, which recently finished, was likewise exceptional, with hotels at capacity at all times," stated the Minister.

The Jolly Beach Hotel is expected to open in November 2022, with the first 200 rooms refurbished, which will be operated by Elite Resorts until the dispute involving an unlawful charge against the asset is resolved. Only the courts may provide a discharge; the legal process has already begun and is likely to take two years.

Besides this, the Minister of Health Zoudiera Jackson told the Cabinet that no changes to Covid's guidelines are required. He stated the protocols are updated considering the number of patients hospitalized due to COVID-19; however, there are no hospitalizations.

Furthermore, he stated that there are currently 200 COVID-19 positive patients who remain in isolation. Minister also stated that the cases started to decline following the Labour Day swing upward that was registered.