Tourism Association forges new partnership with gov’t

A section of the British Virgin Islands

The BVI Yachting Hotel and Tourism Association (BVIYHTA) recently participated in a strategic meeting with Premier and Tourism Minister Dr Natalio Wheatley where they shared their resolve to advance the BVI’s tourism product.,

The BVIYHTA said the meeting with the territory’s leader marked a significant milestone in their effort to build partnerships, which serve to strengthen the tourism industry.

The organisation said the Premier was accompanied by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry for Tourism, Joseph Smith-Abbott, further signaling his commitment to implementing solutions towards an invigorated and resilient tourism industry.

The BVIYHTA was represented in force by several members of its interim board of directors including Chairman Clyde Lettsome, and Sharon Flax-Brutus — the organisation’s Executive Director.

The tourism organisation said there were several fruitful discussions, all of which underscored a shared mission to cultivate robust relationships between the government and industry stakeholders.

“Key topics included the establishment of the new Ministry of Tourism and opportunities for long-term collaboration, a national strategic tourism plan, the BVI’s competitive positioning within the region, and concerns related to crime impacting the tourism sector,” the BVIYHTA said in a news release.

The Premier expressed his satisfaction with the meeting’s outcome.

“The vision, which I have shared with my new Ministry, is an ambitious and exciting one. As a destination, we continue to have all of the elements necessary, particularly in our natural resources and our people, to remain a first-choice destination internationally,” the leader said.

“Organisations like the BVIYHTA and its contemporaries will always have my support as we work together as a territory to enhance our industry’s defining products, experiences, and commercial environment,” he added.

The BVIYHTA said it looks forward to working hand-in-hand with the government, particularly the new Ministry of Tourism, to navigate challenges, leverage opportunities, and collectively propel the territory’s tourism industry to new heights.

Players in the tourism industry have been calling for greater collaboration with the government, saying oftentimes, major decisions are made without consulting with the businesses that fuel the tourism product.

With record numbers of cruise arrivals in 2023, the government said the industry — the second largest revenue earner after financial services — is on its way to a full combat.

Amid pressure from the Opposition to put more focus on tourism, Premier Wheatley said tourism is one of the areas that his government will be focusing on as they aim to diversity the economy and bring in more government revenue.

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