ROADTOWN Tortola BVI, January 12th, 2012 -- Happy New Year to all of you and thank you for participating in this very important meeting as we dialogue in this forum to find effective solutions in strengthening another one of our economic pillars —Tourism.

Last week practitioners from throughout the financial services sectors came out in numbers and candidly discussed the challenges and opportunities for strengthening the industry. I was indeed pleased with the discussions stakeholders spoke earnestly and frankly about the many strategic ways we can market, promote and enhance our financial product.

The primary objective of today’s meeting is the same as it was for the financial services industry: to hear from you about the concerns and challenges of the tourism sector, to discuss what works well and what needs to be improved as we work together to formulate our rescue and recovery strategy.

Tourism is the single most largest contributor to the Gross Domestic Product of the Territory. It accounts for approximately 30 percent of the GDP, but we can do more to make this sector more robust. Tourism provides business opportunities and jobs to many of our people; it increases the flow of money into the Territory; and it helps to keep the labour force vibrant. If we are to re-energise our economy, tourism will have to play a critical and significant role.

This government is committed to introducing a recovery tourism strategy and we cannot do it without you. This strategy will serve as a road map for the sector and we will have a laser-like focus on implementation. We must begin thinking about repositioning the sector in order to be competitive in the global marketplace.

The reality is plain and simple, within the tourism sector we have to change the way we do business. We have to ensure viability of our businesses that we rely on for jobs and opportunity, which will in turn help improve our standard of living.

This means that it is important for us to map out a viable structure to ensure and enable full cooperation between the public and private sectors in an effort to strengthen and safeguard this Territory’s tourism industry.

It is important that we find effective ways of stimulating and fixing the economy in an effort to enhance the quality of life of all of us.

Since my Government took office on November 9, we have been diligently working toward fixing the economy. On December 7, 2011 Cabinet approved the appointed of a new Board of Directors for the BVI Tourist Board. The membership reflects the range and diversity of the local industry ranging from: small locally owned properties, resorts and hotels, the transportation and taxi sector, the cruise sector, to the airports and seaports, our culture and historical sites, the sports fishing sector, the yachting sector and marketing.

I wish to commend the Chairman Mr. Russell Harrigan and his team for immediately hitting the ground running. I had called upon them to move with a sense of urgency in addressing the myriad challenges confronting our tourism sector, and I am pleased to say that they have already had their first meeting. They have appointed numerous committees and they are meeting on matters of products, airlift, industry training, marketing and human resources as it relates to the board.

I have also met with a number of our leading properties in the BVI and I am pleased to say that there are a number of persons interested in investing. I know the Chairman has already reached out to our neighbours about the issues of airlift, and we will meet with them over the next several weeks on this and other matters.

Additionally, I am aware that the Minister for Communications and Works and the Chairman of the BVI Tourist Board will be meeting in the next several weeks with the Florida Cruise Line Association on matters relating to the cruise industry. All of this constitutes what I have been calling our listening period as we formulate our strategy for tourism.

In the next several weeks, the Board will turn its attention to looking at our marketing in our primary market in the US and Europe, while at the same examining market opportunity in Canada and South America where the economies of Brazil, Chile and Argentina are doing well.

We have to strengthen our product and add to our current tourism menu; while at the same time exploring ideas for making them more attractive and relevant for continued and enhanced development.

I am pleased that members from the private sector are here, as you are the ones who help to drive this economic engine of the Territory. Let me reaffirm my government’s commitment to balancing your interests as active participants in the tourism sector. We are here to listen to your concerns and suggestions, and to get a full grasp of all the related issues.

On Monday evening the Minister for Communications and Works met with taxi and livery operators to ascertain the challenges they face. As a Government, we are approaching the tourism sector from all angles. We believe in the importance of coordination to rebrand this Territory.

I have said this before; the time has come for the entire Territory to adopt the mantra that – Tourism is all our business. It must not be just the concern the BVI Tourist Board and the Minister for Tourism. We need your help.
As it is, tourism today is far from buoyant and our visitor arrivals have declined significantly.

What is required is a rescue and recovery strategy to halt the decline, stabilise the industry and return it to a path of long-term growth. This will by no means be an easy task and is compounded by the global economic climate; but it is so critical that failure is not an option.

No doubt, the task ahead is challenging, and will require a major commitment to ‘Putting our Country First’.

Once again, I invite you the key stakeholders within the tourism industry to engage in free and frank discussions with the hope that together we can reenergise and renew vigour in this industry which has traditionally set this Territory apart from the rest of the world.

In closing, we must establish BVI as a global brand; we must welcome more visitors to our shores; we must streamline processes to attract investors; we must create efficiencies; we must create fresh market opportunities and most of all we must work together to make the sector more vibrant for the benefit of all the people in the Territory.

Thank you.

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