Explore Antigua and Barbuda like Lord Alan Sugar
First Caribbean Travel Destination to Star on BBC's The Apprentice
Premiering last night, the new season of hit BBC show The Apprentice kicks off with a bang on the Caribbean islands of Antigua and Barbuda, an idyllic paradise that will host contestants competing to become Lord Alan Sugar's next business partner.
Series 17 will launch with 18 lucky British competitors, along with Project Managers Karen Brady and Claude Littner, being whisked from the boardroom to the Antigua and Barbuda shores where their first challenge awaits them.
Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority's CEO Colin C. James said "While the show is strictly business, Antigua and Barbuda, offers a first-class tourism product and is the perfect backdrop for this challenge. Our welcoming people, warm weather, turquoise waters, fantastic cultural sites, amazing restaurants and unique experiences will be splashed across television screens throughout the UK, thrilling viewers and enticing them to book a holiday to Antigua and Barbuda."
Split into two teams, Boys vs. Girls, the contestants were tasked with promoting island tours and excursions, the winning team being whoever made the most profit. The girls picked a sea excursion, a catamaran ride with Tropical Adventures that includes some luxury touches, while the boys chose a cultural, historic tour of UNESCO World Heritage Site Nelson's Dockyard. After learning from our on the ground experts, as much as they could to act as guides, the teams went about making deals with local partners and selling excursions to regular tourists.
Nelsons Dockyard, Antigua
After years of planning and hard work, the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority is proud to share this culmination of efforts across both locals and international partners. This episode will ensure Antigua and Barbuda are front of mind for millions of British travellers tuning in as it airs on the BBC in January, which is peak holiday booking season for UK travellers.
To experience Antigua and Barbuda as seen on The Apprentice, travellers should visit the below local hotspots and take part in traditional activities including:
- Shirley Heights - A restored military lookout and gun battery. The Lookout is a high point (about 490 ft.) that affords a superb view of English and Falmouth Harbours, the best view in Antigua.
View of English Harbour from Shirley Heights
- English Harbour - A natural harbour and settlement on the extreme south of the island. The settlement takes its name from the nearby harbour in which the Royal Navy established its base of operations during the eighteenth century.
- Nelson's Dockyard - This working Georgian era naval dockyard is set in some of the most picturesque scenery found anywhere. Inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 2016 as the "Antigua Naval Dockyard and Related Archaeological Sites", the Park is a unique combination of history, heritage, and environment with scenic beauty, beaches and sailing.
- Clarence House - Overlooking the Dockyard, the historic Clarence House is one of the finest examples of 19th century living in not only Antigua and Barbuda but the entire Caribbean. Built in 1804 for the Navy Commissioner, Clarence House was designed to impress visiting Admirals, Captains, and royally appointed Governors on their tours of duty.
- Tropical Adventures Antigua – Antigua's largest tour operator, Tropical Adventures offers an assortment of fun and adventurous shore excursions and tours. Tropical Adventures offers several dreamy catamaran tours, from sunset cruises, Mystic Cades Reef sailing and snorkelling and a complete circumnavigation tour of Antigua and Barbuda.
Cherrie Osborne, Director of Tourism UK & Europe for the Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority said: "We are absolutely delighted to share the culmination of years of planning and hard work and would like to thank all our partners who worked together to make this partnership a reality. After two years of travel restrictions tourism has never been more important, and so inspiring travel to Antigua and Barbuda is not only a top priority for the tourism board, but imperative to the islands' successful growth and recovery. Antigua and Barbuda will star in one of the UK's most popular TV shows and this exciting episode will be sure to inspire millions of British travellers to visit the destination for years to come."
If you missed last nights show, search it on catch up or BBCiplayer to find out the results, see Antigua come to life on the silver screen and begin planning your next holiday to Antigua and Barbuda.
All images from Canva
