El Castillo business owners denounce resort’s decline: “Castillo is dead”

The El Castillo Business Association has publicly denounced what it sees as the current state of this resort area in the municipality of Antigua, raising concerns about cleanliness, neglect and deterioration in various public spaces.

The business group has criticised the local council’s management and called on Antigua Town Council to take urgent action to restore an area it considers vital to economic activity and to residents and visitors alike.

The association summed up its frustration in particularly stark terms: “Castillo is dead”.

Business owners say the accumulated decline is damaging the image of one of the municipality’s main tourist areas. They warn that this has consequences for people who live and work there, as well as for tourists who choose the area for their holidays.

Calls for cleaning, maintenance, services and investment

The El Castillo Business Association is calling for improved cleaning and maintenance, as well as more services and public investment.

The group says restoring the resort area requires more than one-off measures such as repairing streets, painting façades or removing rubbish. It also means rebuilding the confidence of residents, business owners and visitors.

“The time for waiting is over. We need to act,” says a press release signed by the association’s president, Eduard van der Veen.

The business community’s complaint follows a strategic assessment of El Castillo-Caleta de Fuste commissioned by the group several months ago and carried out by an external consultancy. It identified shortcomings relating to cleanliness, safety, maintenance, planning and public investment.

A key tourist area for Antigua

Business owners point to the importance of El Castillo-Caleta de Fuste to the municipality’s economy. They say the condition of public spaces also affects the private sector’s efforts to improve and modernise its premises.

In recent months, the association has called for action to address various problems in the resort area, including maintenance, cleanliness and safety. In June, business representatives also attended a meeting with the Island Directorate of the State Administration and police officials to discuss public safety in the area.

With its latest statement, the El Castillo Business Association is once again calling for a response from the authorities and urging them to move from assessments to concrete action to restore the area and rebuild confidence in one of Antigua’s main tourist destinations.