B.V.I. July 20, 2009 – Premier and Minister for Tourism, Honourable Ralph T. O’Neal, OBE is confident that the increased membership of the BVI Tourist Board will allow for better representation of the diverse interests involved in the industry.
In an interview with the Department of Information and Public Relations Hon. O’Neal said the additional members will help ensure that there is a well-rounded, more balanced representation on the Tourist Board.
His comments come on the heels of the enactment of the Tourist Board Amendment Act, which constitutes an amendment to the Tourist Board Ordinance (Cap.280). The act was introduced in the House of Assembly on April 27 this year, passed on May 26 and recently assented to by His Excellency the Governor David Pearey.
The passage of the act makes good on a promise announced in the Speech from the Throne, delivered on November 13, 2008, in which Governor Pearey outlined Government’s plans for the ensuing year. On that occasion, the Governor revealed Government’s intention to amend the Tourist Board Act “so that membership can include more stakeholders.
Now that the act has been passed and assented to, it paves the way for the membership of the BVI Tourist Board to be increased from between seven and 11 members to between nine and 15 members.
Honourable O’Neal said, “it was necessary to increase the membership of the board because there are many diverse interests among stakeholders in the tourism industry and it is necessary to give each sector a voice.”
The Premier and Tourism Minister identified diving as one such area of interest. “Diving for instance is one of the big things here in the BVI and that we want to encourage. It was necessary to have somebody representing the diving interests, who himself is a diver and knows all about the trade.”
Honourable O’Neal also noted that because of the international nature of the tourism industry, it was also necessary to include someone with “worldwide experience and the membership was therefore increased by having one who is a well known person who travels a lot and who has different experiences in several parts of the world.”
The Tourist Board (Amendment) Act 2009 also provides for the terms appointment of members to be staggered so as not to have these appointments all expire at the same time. The quorum for a meeting of the board has also been adjusted from four to eight members.
The current members of the BVI Tourist Board are Permanent Secretary in the Premier’s Office Rosalie Adams, Melvin Clifton, Bellanseta Creque, Julia L. Dawson, Sharon Flax-Mars, Julio “Sam” Henry, Vincent O’Neal, Alan Rhymer, Lemuel “Chi-Chi” Smith and Chairman Myron Walwyn.
British Virgin Islands News