St. John’s, Antigua and Barbuda: His Excellency Bahij Mansour, Ambassador to Israel paid a courtesy call on the Ministry of Tourism, Economic Development, Investment and Energy on Wednesday.

The Ambassador said, “I am overjoyed to be here with you and I hope that the relationship between Antigua and Barbuda and the State of Israel can deepen cooperation, especially in Tourism, Agriculture, and Energy. I am here to reinforce this relationship and I hope that in the coming years, the relationship will grow stronger.

Ambassador Mansour met with Tourism Minister Honourable Asot Michael, Tourism Consultant Shirlene Nibbs, and Advisor on Energy Brian Challenger, Solicitor General Lebrecht Hessey and Project Manager St. Clair Soleyn.

Hon. Asot Michael and His Excellency Bahij Mansour, Ambassador to Israel

Minister Michael said “with the Ministry’s thrust to increased Tourism arrivals and having a more diverse source market, he is looking forward to Israelis visitors making Antigua and Barbuda a destination of choice.  With this as a major focus the waiver of visas for visitors from Israel will be looked into.  Ambassador Mansour stated, “Once agreements are put in place more tourists will be able to visit Antigua”.  Another area Minister Michael spoke on was that of renewable energy and he looked forward to Technical support from Israel that has a lot of expertise in the area.

In the area of Tourism Education and Development the Ambassador indicated that Israel provided quite a few scholarships for Caribbean Nationals.   The exploration of offering courses in Kosher Cuisine was discussed. The Ambassador indicated with the inclusion of Jewish cuisine or offerings  on the menu in hotels,  this will indeed be another plus to lure visitors  from Israel to Antigua and Barbuda.

The Ambassador is also responsible for Grenada, Dominica, Haiti, Jamaica, and the Dominican Republic.