Above: the Burj Khalifa

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Antigua and Barbuda Finance Minister Harold Lovell has returned to the country following a trip to Dubai, the Ministry announced.

Lovell was in the United Arab Emirates to present at the Global Citizens Forum at the Burj Khalifa in Dubai last week. He addressed attendees on attracting investment to Antigua and Barbuda, particularly the components of the new Citizenship By Investment Programme.

Lovell also held talks with several businessmen in Dubai, including Sheikh Tariq Bin Faisal Al Qassimi, chairman of Emirates Investment Group, Raza Jafar, the CEO of ENSHAA and executives from the Dubai National Air Transport Agency and Emirates Airlines.

ENSHAA was behind projects like the Palazzo Versace Dubai and the Emirates Financial Towers.

The meeting with Emirates Airlines explored the possibilities of airlift from the UAE to Antigua and Barbuda.

In a statement, the Ministry also said there was a “pledge by all of the parties to actively pursue hospitality projects in Antigua and Barbuda.”

Lovell participated in the forum at the invitation of Armand Arton, CEO and President of Arton Capital.

The Gulf states have been showing increasing interest in the Caribbean — most notably in St Kitts and Nevis, where the Park Hyatt project is being funded by an investment group out of Dubai.