Government and tourism sector meet to discuss sargassum management challenges
Members of Anguilla’s tourism industry met with government officials to discuss sargassum management and how to reduce its impact on… The post Government and tourism sector meet to discuss sargassum management challenges appeared first on Anguilla Focus | News.
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Members of Anguilla’s tourism industry met with government officials to discuss sargassum management and how to reduce its impact on beaches and coastal properties.
The Anguilla Hotel and Tourism Association and the Department of Natural Resources hosted the meeting on 16 June at the National Emergency Operations Centre in The Valley.
The event gave members an opportunity to voice their concerns regarding the influx of the brown seaweed as well as issues related to timely access to the government’s Barber Surf Rake.
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Participants also engaged in constructive discussion on potential solutions to improve response efforts and mitigate the impacts of sargassum on the tourism sector.
The meeting was led by Rhon Connor, director of the Environment Unit within the Department of Natural Resources, and senior environmental officer Samuel Glasgow.
Among the government officials in attendance were natural resources minister Kyle Hodge, tourism director Jameel Rochester and deputy tourism director Chantelle Richardson.
Trevor Queeley, director of the Department of Disaster Management, and Donel McMaster, planning programme officer and tourism working group liaison officer also joined the meeting.
During the discussions, Hodge advised members that the Department of Natural Resources is actively developing plans aimed at strengthening the island’s capacity to manage sargassum.
It will being doing this through the implementation of improved systems, strategies and resources, a press release from the Anguilla Hotel and Tourism Association said.
Cherecia Lewis, the association’s chief executive officer, thanked government representatives for engaging with members and reaffirmed the association’s commitment to collaborative, sustainable solutions.
Sargassum is a type of seaweed that can wash ashore in large quantities, forming rotting piles that produce a strong odour and disrupt tourism by affecting beaches and coastal access.
The Anguilla Hotel and Tourism Association is the main private-sector body representing hotels, villas, restaurants and other tourism businesses, working to support and develop the island’s tourism industry.
The post Government and tourism sector meet to discuss sargassum management challenges appeared first on Anguilla Focus | News.
