Above: Scrub Island in BVI

By the Caribbean Journal staff

The British Virgin Islands has appointed a new Board of Directors for its BVI Tourist Board, according to Premier Dr Orlando Smith.

The board was appointed with the approval of Cabinet earlier this month.

“Tourism is the largest contributor to the Gross Domestic Product of the territory, and if we are to re-energize our economy, tourism will have to play a critical and significant role,” Smith said in a statement. “Tourism today is in a state of free fall and 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.”

The new mbmers are Chairman Russell Harrigan, Sharon Flax-Mars; Romney Penn; Julien Johnson; Denniston Fraser; Clyde Lettsome; Tanya Whistler; Julia Dawson; Wilbert Mason; Robert Henry; Elmore Stoutt and Lawrence Wheatley.

There are also two ex-officio members: the Managing Director for the BVI Ports Authority and the Permanent Secretary for the Premier’s Office and the Director of Tourism.

Smith said the new board reflected the range and diversity of the country’s tourism sector, from hotel and resort experts to those with a focus on cultural and historical sites.