The land has been cleared near AUA to make way for a hotel development expected to serve foreign-based students of the campus and their families.
– Advertisement –
By Robert Andre Emmanuel
Overseas-based parents of students studying at the American University of Antigua (AUA) are likely to be the main beneficiaries of a new lodging development occurring in the Coolidge area, according to Chief of Staff Lionel Hurst.
Although it was originally suggested that the developers of the hotel would be local, Hurst said that the leadership of the medical school were leading the initiative, with many of the investors being foreign based.
“My understanding is that AUA has sourced this investment because the AUA has an interest in having a small hotel on campus that will allow parents who allow their children to be registered at AUA would like some time to accompany them and to remain in very close proximity.
“So, the investors were brought to the table, and they are, to the best of my knowledge, they are foreign not domestic,” Hurst said.
The new development by AUA comes as it continues to get their conference centre ready in time for the SIDS 4 conference slated to open on May 27.
The conference is expected to see thousands of individuals on island until May 30 to discuss how to build resilient societies for small island developing states and collectively addressing issues facing small island states, including the insufficiency of data gathering and analysis.
However, Hurst said that the government is looking to get more female entrepreneurs involved in the hotel industry.
“Now there is a plan and has been a plan to get women involved in entrepreneurial action that would see Antigua and Barbuda, women involved in the hotel industry in a large way.
“There were times when women invested in in the hotel industry as it was beginning its embryonic rise in Antigua and Barbuda, but what has happened since is that even small hotels tend to be male operated, although we know that several of the AirBnBs are being operated by Antiguans.”
– Advertisement –
