at the start of march 2001, the antigua workers union (awu), the trade union which represents close to 7,000 workers in the tourism industry, described tourism as an industry in crisis. the awu claimed the industry is on the decline because some airlines are pulling out of the country, and government was not spending enough money to promote tourism. while the government has conceded that it was not spending enough on marketing because of cash flow problems, it has rejected the awu's contention that the industry is in crisis.