Anguilla’s Tourism Chief Urges Caribbean unity to compete globally

THE VALLEY, ANGUILLA--Anguilla’s tourism director is urging more young people to pursue careers in hospitality and calling on Caribbean destinations to collaborate rather than compete, saying the region’s real rivals lie outside the Caribbean.

Jameel Rochester, 33, the youngest and first male director of tourism for the Anguilla Tourist Board, made the comments during a recent interview with host Lawrence Boschulte on 90.9 FM, operated by Caribbean Broadcast Network (BVI) Limited.

Rochester’s call for Caribbean destinations to collaborate rather than compete closely mirrors comments made by St. Maarten Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication Grisha Heyliger-Marten earlier this year.

Speaking at the Caribbean Tourism Organization’s airlift conference in Bermuda in February, Heyliger-Marten challenged the region’s habit of operating as separate and competing markets, particularly when addressing intra-Caribbean air travel. She argued that the Caribbean’s greatest tourism challenge was not competition from major international destinations, but the region’s own fragmentation.

“First and foremost, we must stop seeing each other as competitors. The Caribbean’s greatest competitor is not the United States. Not Europe. Not Canada. It is our own fragmentation,” Heyliger-Marten said.

Like Rochester, she urged Caribbean governments and tourism authorities to adopt a more united approach that strengthens regional connectivity and allows destinations to compete collectively on the global stage.

“If tourism was created for the sole purpose of our people benefiting from it, then they need to be the beneficiaries,” Rochester said. “We have to do everything that it takes to make sure that our people are at the helm of the industry.”

His leadership strategy for strengthening Anguilla’s tourism product rests on three priorities: people, product and purpose. “When we invest in our people, when we protect and enhance our product, and when we remain purposeful in our decisions, tourism becomes sustainable and beneficial for generations to come,” he noted.

Rochester encouraged young Anguillians to see tourism as a path to management and leadership, not only entry-level work. “There are opportunities that exist for us that are beyond the position of just being a dishwasher and a server and a clerk,” he stated.

His own tourism and hospitality career progressed from banking and hotel operations — including roles at Malliouhana, Zemi Beach House, Cap Juluca and Four Seasons Anguilla, and later at Wymara Resort + Villas in Turks and Caicos — to tourism leadership. A Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association scholarship recipient, he earned a second MBA at Les Roches in Spain after studying at The University of the West Indies, Mona, in Jamaica. He also served as General Secretary of the Anguilla Football Association, where he helped expand community programs through sport.

Rochester believes Caribbean destinations should work together to attract visitors who might otherwise choose destinations outside the region.

“My competitors are Seychelles, Dubai, Fiji and Bora Bora,” he said, adding that collaboration can encourage multi-island trips that pair Anguilla with the U.S. Virgin Islands, British Virgin Islands, St. Maarten-Saint-Martin, St. Barthélemy and other neighbors.

Improved air connectivity is another focus of Anguilla, Rochester stated. He pointed to nonstop American Airlines service from Miami, BermudAir/AnguillAir flights from the U.S. and Canada, and expanded options through Turks and Caicos that strengthen links among British Overseas Territories.

Rochester described Anguilla’s offer as “luxury inclusive,” meaning visitors at different price points can still access the island’s beaches, food and experiences. The destination’s “Lose the Crowd. Find Yourself.” positioning, he explained, is intended for travelers seeking simplicity and rest. “Anguilla is something to somebody, but not everything to everybody,” he said.

Anguilla led reporting Caribbean destinations in stayover visitor growth during the first quarter of 2026, welcoming 46,691 visitors from January through March — a 24.6% increase over the same period in 2025, according to the Caribbean Tourism Organization.

The tourism director credited the Anguilla Tourist Board team, tourism businesses and the wider community for the foundation already in place, adding that the goal is to build on that work while protecting what makes the destination distinctive.

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