PM Says Order and Cleanliness Essential to Luxury Tourism

Prime Minister Gaston Browne says the government’s crackdown on illegal vending and littering is a deliberate tourism policy, arguing that a luxury tourism product cannot be sustained in an environment marked by disorder, neglect and environmental degradation.

Speaking at the World Government Summit in Dubai, Browne said environmental stewardship and public order are no longer optional add-ons, but economic necessities for destinations competing in the global high-value tourism market.

“We cannot sustain a luxury product in an environment of disorder, disrepair and filth,” Browne said, linking cleanliness, urban order and environmental management directly to visitor confidence and national credibility.

He said the government is clamping down on illegal vending in public spaces while intensifying efforts to clean and beautify the country as part of a broader reset of the tourism sector. According to Browne, these measures are essential to repositioning Antigua and Barbuda as a premier luxury destination.

Browne said eco-conscious travel is now a defining global trend, with travellers increasingly favouring destinations that demonstrate genuine sustainability and responsible stewardship of natural and cultural assets. He said that responsibility must extend beyond hotels to public spaces, towns and communities.

“Our efforts to clean and beautify our country, to improve our tourism product and to advance the living standards of our people, also include a program of urban redevelopment and renewal,” he said, referring to ongoing projects in St. John’s and surrounding areas.

The prime minister framed national civic pride as a central component of tourism competitiveness, arguing that environmental discipline, order and public responsibility shape how the world experiences Antigua and Barbuda.

He said tourism reform must align physical infrastructure, environmental management and governance standards, warning that destinations that fail to address disorder and degradation risk losing relevance in an increasingly competitive global tourism market.

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