Antigua’s SJDC Criticized for High Rents

Antigua’s SJDC Criticized for High Rents
By Rory Butler

St John’s Development Corporation (SJDC) has defended itself against complaints of an unreasonably high rent structure and revealed plans for heavy discounting over the slow summer period.
Communications and Marketing Manager Carolyn Thomas Parker said tenants of the duty free zone in Heritage Quay will be given a 35 percent discount on their rent for a summer period that will see only 3 cruise ships call into port.
“We have not had a rent increase in almost 10 years and we at SJDC have worked with our tenants,” Parker said.  “We realize we are in a slump period and it started at around 2009 and the corporation planned for that period.”
The SJDC Communications and Marketing Manager was responding to a caller while speaking on Observer Radio’s Voice of the People program, but tenants have long complained of high rents in the government-owned Heritage Quay facility.
“I have a sister who has a business in Heritage Quay and the rents are extremely high; the utilities are exorbitant,” complained the caller.  “Many people have had to refinance, overdraft and wipe out their savings to keep on top of the rent …”
Parker, however, denied the rents being high and said since the economic slump the government corporation has offered a 7.5 percent discount in 2009, a 15 percent discount in 2010 and now a 35 percent discount for 2011 for the slow summer period.
Parker did not explain the reason for the increased discount this year but tourism officials are expecting one of the worst cruise tourism summer seasons on record. President of the Cruise Tourism Association Nathan Dundas said in the past 12 to 15 ships regularly called during the summer period.
“The slow summer season is affecting us because we were not prepared to have just a six-month season for the Caribbean,” Dundas said.  “The cruise ships have gone global. It used to be the Caribbean was the destination all year round. That has changed and that is what we have to face.”
Dundas said cruise lines are now moving not only to the Mediterranean but to countries across the globe, including China, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and countries in Latin America.