Passing the Baton at Sugar Ridge
From Keith Martel

Almost 48 years in the hospitality industry and now almost 65 years of age, I decided in March that it was time to retire and ‘pass the baton’, get out the golf clubs and sail my boat into the wonderful bays of Antigua! It’s hard to believe that 14 of those 48 years have been in Antigua; where by the way I am now proud to say I am an Antigua Citizen.

Terrence Linton most recently from the Lighthouse in Barbuda joins Sugar Ridge as General Manager and after a handover through August will officially take the baton from 1^st September. Aidan McCauley a Director of the company and son of the Chairman of the parent company will take responsibility for the sales and marketing of Sugar Ridge.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the amazing people I have met on my incredible journey in life. I have had the immense pleasure to meet Celebrities, Sportsmen, and Royalty; wonderful characters from every walk of life and not least the people in this trade who are the ‘true assets’ of this business. It is the huge network of people worldwide that makes this industry so invigorating.  I have known many of you for a lot of years whilst others are more recent. Without any one of you it would have been impossible to achieve my own ambitions; in this business it takes a whole team to accomplish success. So thank you it has been a pleasure working with you.

Throughout my career I have met, trained and pushed forward many young people who have demonstrated talents and abilities to excel in this industry and I am pleased to have been part of their own success.

I will not be retiring completely, as my dear wife Dorothy started a Candle Factory in Antigua about a year ago which is going extremely well, so I will be helping to develop that still further.

I send very best and heartfelt wishes accompanied also with a little sadness, but with no regrets for my career of choice.

Addressing the needs and the expectations of travelers to Antigua and Barbuda, while ensuring that decisions are made that will impact positively on the tourism industry and maintain the destination’s competitiveness within the marketplace will be high on the agenda for the Ministry of Tourism and the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority when they

Antigua and Barbuda is poised to tackle these, and other challenges, with a new focus on sustainability.   A new focus on balancing the protection and enhancement of its rich natural and cultural assets, while appealing to the expanding market of travelers interested in responsible practices and authentic experiences, has led to Antigua and Barbuda engaging with organizations such as the Sustainable Destinations Alliance for the Americas (SDAA), a multi-sector initiative comprised of regional organizations, NGOs, and a private-sector corporation