TOURISM NEEDS PROTECTION NOW:
SECURITY SHOULD BE BOLSTERED

By Sir Ronald Sanders

Antigua and Barbuda needs to bolster the security that surrounds every aspect of its tourism industry. And, we need to do so now.

One of the reasons that we have continued to maintain a decent level of tourist arrivals despite the fear of flying that has gripped Americans and affected Europeans, is that our region is regarded as safe.

We are perceived to be outside the theatre of military, religious and ethnic conflict.
The clash that is currently taking place is between fundamentalist Muslims groups, inspired by, if not connected to, Osama bin Laden’s al Queda, and their two sets of enemies - Western governments particularly the United States on the one hand and Israel on the other.
But, the truth is that, in this clash, no one is safe.

It is clear that both al Queda and a myriad number of extremist Muslim groups have decided that they should hit both government installations belonging to Western governments and the civilians of those countries wherever they may be.

Thus, a few weeks ago, a hotel resort in Bali, Indonesia’s most desirable tourist destination for North Americans and Europeans, was bombed. Many people were killed and the carnage was displayed on television screens around the world.

Last week, a tourist resort in Mombasa, an idyllic tropical island in a deep natural harbour in Kenya, was the victim of a terrorist attack.

Simultaneously, an attempt was made to blow-up an Israeli Charter flight leaving Nairobi for Israel, and a car laden with explosives was driven into a Mombasa hotel that caters exclusively for Israeli tourists.

The plane escaped. The two missiles fired at it both missed, probably because the launchers were old and the operators untrained.

But, the hotel was not so lucky. The vehicle exploded at the entrance killing several people including two Israeli children and several Kenyan dancers who were welcoming the Israeli tourists on arrival.

Again, the spectacle of a successful terrorist attack was transmitted into sitting rooms across the globe.

The point was being made that nowhere is safe and everything is a potential target.
Bali and Mombasa had one thing in common apart from being popular tourist destinations – both have a substantial Muslim community.

In recent years, sections of the Muslim communities in both Bali and Mombasa have been becoming more militant. They have been particularly aggrieved with the Israelis who have encroached beyond their delineated boundaries to establish settlements on the West Bank and in Gaza – two areas long accepted as integral to Palestine.

Under the present Ariel Sharon government, the Israelis have become more aggressive. They have bombarded Palestine, pushed Palestinians out of areas where they have long lived, and even laid siege to the Headquarters of Palestinian leader, Yasser Arafat.

Muslim communities everywhere have regarded Israeli aggression as unacceptable. They believe that it is this aggression that has provoked terrorist retaliation from Palestinians including suicide bombing.

They are also angry with the United States whose successive governments, they feel, have not been even-handed in the Israeli-Palestinian dispute because of the very wealthy and strong Jewish lobby in American politics.

In this context, US allies, such as Britain, Australia and Italy, also incur the wrath of extreme fundamentalist Muslim communities.

In Mombasa, the Muslim community felt it had even more cause for anger toward Western countries. Since the August 1998 bombing of the US Embassy in Kenya, and the events of September 11th, CIA and FBI agents, accompanied by Kenyan intelligence officers, have charged into people’s homes and searched them. To date the whereabouts of at least 20 people arrested by the intelligence services remain a mystery.

All of these perceived grievances by the Muslim community have been enflamed by the present group of Imams (priests) in Mombasa. In many cases, they are graduates of Universities in Libya, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Egypt where they were exposed to the adventurism of Western governments, particularly the US, and, consequently, radicalised
Antigua and Barbuda does not have a large Muslim population as far as we know. Therefore, there should be no groups within our country who are anxious to act for, or be supportive of, al Queda or any similar organisation.

In recent years, while we have witnessed an increase in the number of people from the Middle East, it is claimed that these people are Christians not Muslims. Therefore, it is to be assumed that they are not interested in a holy war with Israel or terrorist activity against civilians from the US or other western countries.
Nonetheless, one of the ways in which Antigua and Barbuda should now bolster its security is be screening closely persons from all parts of the Middle East including Israel, Pakistan and South East Asia, who seek visas to enter this country.

Al Queda has planted “sleepers” around the world. They call on them when and if they feel it necessary or useful. It is not beyond the realm of imagination that “sleepers” may already be planted in Antigua and Barbuda. The government should now close the doors to the possibility of any more.

In Mombasa, there were two other lessons that we in Antigua and Barbuda should learn now.

The first is that there were several Israeli hotels catering exclusively for Israelis. That in itself was bad enough, but the properties had high security fences and a policy of not employing local people. In other words the local people have no vested interest in protecting the properties.

The second was that tourism had come to be seen in Mombasa as being of no benefit to the local population. Despite the massive growth in tourism, only a limited number of local people have a stake in it.

In Antigua and Barbuda, a significant part of ensuring the security and safety of the industry is to ensure that the benefits of tourism continue to flow to the people.

In this connection, the Government should review the concept of all-inclusive hotels, which, while employing locals within the property, exclude other locals such as taxi drivers, restaurant owners and workers, boutiques and shops from the benefits of their guests.
A deliberate and conscious decision also has to be made by the Government to make sure that the tourist dollar is spread wider amongst the community. Vegetables and fruits should be bought from local farmers first, fish should be purchased from local fishermen first, services should be bought from local providers first.

This is the only way that hotels in Antigua and Barbuda, most of which are foreign-owned, can rely on the vested interested of locals in safeguarding the industry.

And, Government must ensure that locals continue to be given every encouragement to establish the support ancillary tourist businesses such as shops, boutiques, and services. These are not areas that foreigners should simply walk-in and set-up.

Beyond all these necessary actions, Police intelligence should be improved considerably.
Any plot to target a tourist centre in Antigua and Barbuda should come to light immediately so that it could be nipped in the bud and the perpetrators arrested before they execute their plans.

To do so, the Police need better intelligence systems and resources than they have.
It is significant that in Mombasa, the Police are regarded as both inept and corrupt. Therefore, it is hardly surprising that they claimed to have no prior knowledge of the plan to attack the Israeli resort.

Finally, security at both our ports and airport urgently require overhaul. The truth is that our ports and airport are easy targets now for terrorist activity. Security is lax, But, it will take only one incident to wipe Antigua and Barbuda off the tourist map completely.

If we do nothing to bolster security and to fully involve our community in ensuring such security, we may live to regret it.

Antigua and Barbuda and the Caribbean have only one thing going for them right now in the global tourism industry – it is the perception that we are safe. The Government, the Hotel Association and the community as a whole would do well to ensure that our country continues to remain safe, or we can kiss tourism goodbye, and with it our livelihood.