ANTIGUA: Tourism Manager Fired

Government has terminated the services of Vice President of Sales and Marketing for the United States and Canadian markets, Marie Walker who was in the first year of a two- year contract.

Walker, who reportedly earned a monthly salary of US$20, 000 received her walking papers on Friday.

Staff in the US tourism office received an email on Friday to that effect.

Reports are that Chief Executive Officer of Antigua & Barbuda Tourist Authority Colin James, Chairman Rohan Hector and Consultant in the Ministry of Tourism, Shirlene Nibbs left the island on the weekend to asses the state of the office.

Walker was appointed by the Antigua & Barbuda Labour Party (ABLP) Administration in January last year as part of a move to amalgamate the US and Canadian travel markets.

The sacking of the Jamaican national has prompted the Opposition United Progressive Party (UPP) to question government’s hiring practices.

The UPP is demanding an immediate review of government’s hiring practices and has called for the creation of a system that will facilitate a more “effective job search process.”

In a release to the media, the party said Walker’s hiring in 2015 was handled “unprofessionally and conducted hastily, without sufficient background checks or clear performance benchmarks.

“The entire selection process took less than a week. Walker was contacted on Monday, January 5, 2015, travelled to Antigua the next day and had a two-year contract in hand by Friday, January 9, 2015. There was no selection panel. No other candidates were considered for the position and thorough background checks were never conducted with Tourism Departments in Jamaica and Anguilla, where Walker had been previously terminated,” the release said.

The UPP also stated the same haste and lack of transparency with which the former director of North America for the Anguilla Tourist Board was hired was reflected in the manner in which she was terminated.

“Walker travelled to Antigua on January 5th, 2016, for a performance review, ahead of her one-year anniversary on the job. Her lack of performance as vice president, in improving tourism stay over arrivals from North America, was cited as a major reason for her immediate dismissal.”

The statement, penned by Public Relations Officer Damani Tabor also took issue with the timing in which Walker was given the boot.

Tabor said Walker’s removal during the height of the tourist season, “points to a lack of effective management and planning, as tourism officials scramble to address the chaos brought about by this management crisis.

“The timing of Mrs Walker sacking was not well orchestrated, as it coincided with the desitnation’s participation in the New York times Travel Show- the largest consumer travel show in North America.