Above: Robert De Niro with an Antiguan delegation in New York including Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne (right)

By the Caribbean Journal staff

He’s behind one of the region’s most anticipated new hotel projects: a planned resort on the island of Barbuda.

And Robert De Niro continued his work as Antigua and Barbuda’s special economic envoy last week at Caribbean Week in New York, highlighting a major dinner at the 21 Club.

The event brought together more than 75 investors, bankers and real estate firms, along with a large media delegation.

The event included a focus on the country’s Citizenship by Investment Unit, which offers a path to citizenship following the meeting of a series of investment requirements.

As Caribbean Journal first reported in November 2014, De Niro is behind a planned $250 million project at the former K-Club resort project site in Barbuda.

Last year, Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne announced that the resort would debut under the “Paradise Found” brand name.

While De Niro is best known for his Oscar-winning film work, he has built a small hospitality empire in partnership with Chef Nobu Matsuhisa.

“With such a positive turnout of influentials and executives, who left with an infectious feeling of excitement and positivity about Antigua and Barbuda, and everything we are doing to achieve our vision of becoming the economic powerhouse of the Easter Caribbean, we fully expect this energy to proliferate across all networks – from tourism to business to investments,” Tourism Minister Asot Michael said.

De Niro is one of several Hollywood stars to get into the Caribbean tourism industry in recent years.

Most recently, it was announced that Oscar-winner Leonardo Di Caprio would be launching a private island resort off the coast of Belize.