The Antigua Hotels & Tourist Association (AHTA) Tourism Development Fund continues its campaign to improve the visitor experience by replacing more directional road signs around the island.

The AHTA in collaboration with the Antigua & Barbuda Road Safety Group and SignCom this week unveiled six new signs in Fort James, Fort Road area as a start to the second phase of the project to replace damaged and faded signs island wide. The first phase started in late 2014 saw the replacement over 50 signs across the island.

AHTA General Manager Neil Forrester said, “Something that seems so very simple, like changing signs, is actually extremely important to our tourism product. Visitors who are comfortable travelling around the island feel more confident venturing further from their hotels. They explore more, see more of the island and spend more money. This is not merely a vanity project.”

President of the Road Safety Group Alice Ho-Tack says this is also a road safety issue—for residents and tourists alike. She observed that many of the nation’s signage is in disrepair, rendering them illegible.

The United Nations proclaimed 2011 to 2020 as the “Decade of Action for Road Safety”. Its goal is to stabilize and reduce the level of road traffic fatalities worldwide.

The campaign is slated to continue through 2020, at which time well over 100 signs are scheduled to be replaced nationwide.

This project is funded through the AHTA’s Tourism Development Fund / Dollar-a-Day programme. In participating hotels a “dollar-a-day” is added to the guest’s account for each day spent at the property. This voluntary contribution is utilised to improve our tourism product, keep the beaches safe and clean, improve our historical sites and improve the overall visitor experience.

For further information, visit http://www.antiguahotels.org or contact the AHTA at 462-0374.