Premier Congratulates Young Tourism Ambassadors

~~Adz:Right~~ Roadtown, Tortola- Premier and Minister for Tourism Honourable Ralph T. O’Neal, OBE has extended hearty congratulations to two of the Territory’s students who performed admirably in recent tourism related international contests.

Ashley Miller of the Ivan Dawson Primary School was announced second place winner in the junior division of the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association’s (FCCA) Children’s Essay Contest while in the senior division, Raynecia Simmons of the Bregado Flax Educational Centre advanced to the final round of the contest and received a grant of $200.

In congratulatory letters to the students, the Premier commended them saying he is pleased with the announcement. “I know that you and your family are proud of this achievement and I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all the best in your future endeavours,” the Premier stated.

The theme of the contest was What steps can we take as a destination to make cruise passengers feel more welcome while in port?

Describing this topic as one of utmost relevance to the Virgin Islands which depend largely on the tourism sector, Honourable O’Neal encouraged other students to participate in similar activities.

Ashley Miller’s exemplary performance has earned her a $1,500 cash scholarship with a similar award going to her school. In addition, she will be invited to accept her prize and read her essay at the FCCA Caribbean Cruise Conference which will be held in Trinidad and Tobago from October 27-31.

Miller and Simmons were among students from 15 Caribbean countries who participated in the annual FCCA contest.

Competitions such as these are widely regarded as a commendable way to encourage Caribbean youth to think tourism, which is an industry many rely on.  The situation is no different here in the Virgin Islands where Government actively fosters meaningful participation in the industry, the vision for which is to maintain its leadership position as a diverse, upscale niche market destination.