Antigua and Barbuda’s prime minister Gaston Browne has suggested that the country is “teetering on bankruptcy” because of the international travel restrictions as a result of the global Covid-19 pandemic.
On Saturday during the Browne & Browne programme on his radio station, Pointe FM, Browne said: “The travel restrictions are really hurting us and many of our countries just teetering on bankruptcy; and when I say bankruptcy, practically economic collapse because of the protracted nature of Covid and the fact that revenues have been down for over a year.”
He then went on to provide figures to show the extent of the declines he was referring to: “I mean none of us could have countenanced having to run countries with revenues down by 30% for 14 months. In fact, there were some months in which revenues were down by about 50%. Just imagine we have not had a single cruise tourist in this country for the last 14 months! And the overnight tourists have actually fallen by about 70%.”
Browne’s reference to “overnight tourists” likely to refers to what is more commonly described as ‘stayover visitors’. However, for the sake of accuracy and reliability, the Antigua Trumpet will stick with his exact words.
He said it was “nearly almost [sic] miraculous that we’ve been able to keep this country afloat and pay salaries and wages, and even though pensions are being paid late, to meet pensions”.
He added that, “We have been doing lots of things to just keep this thing afloat,” but admitted that “it is becoming more and more difficult day by day and month by month.”
