Photo: hygge_lige
If a mountain was named Mount Obama instead of Boggy Peak, would you be more inclined to visit? Antigua certainly hopes so.
Jaunted has labeled this name change a Wise Move and I think I agree. Although, I did want to do a little more digging to see if there is anything more behind the rename, or if it’s purely marketing and they’re simply exploiting the popular president’s name.
The answer is probably somewhere in the middle. While there is no doubt they’re taking advantage, their claim that Antigua’s highest mountain (at 395 meters/1319 feet) will become the “beacon of hope for all people” is plausible. Everyone needs hope, and if changing the name of this landmark will bring that, then I’m all for it.
And it’s not as if they’re just relying on the name change to bring in the tourists. The island nation is also building a network of hiking trails in the new National Park, a museum, and educational facilities.
The change in name will occur on August 4 to coincide with President Obama’s birthday.
Visiting Antigua and Barbuda
To see it yourself, check out the Antigua and Barbuda official website for information on arriving and getting around. The island paradise boasts some of the best diving and beaches and also lays claim to the sunniest weather in the Eastern Caribbean.
COMMUNITY CONNECTION
If you need more reason to visit Antigua, Eva Holland points out it’s one of the recession-proof currencies pegged to the US dollar.
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7 Comments... join the discussion!
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I love island paradises that boast. Sly, Carlo, sly.
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I know more than a few women who would like to mount Obama.
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I’m not sure it’s so much a matter of exploitation as celebration. Obama’s a huge figure in the Caribbean — I think Julie wrote during the Saint Kitts elections about the adoption of the “Yes We Can” slogan by one of the opposition parties? And my dad saw a similar trend when he was an observer in the recent Antiguan elections. A couple weeks ago, Eric Holder visited Barbados and had a government building named after him.
Of course, if it brings in some extra tourist dollars, I’m sure no one will complain!
But I think this is first and foremost an effort to be a part of something that they see as being really special.
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Sign me up for a visit! Doesn’t Japan have one of these as well? (Or is that a town?)
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