The Bermuda Tourism Authority has a new interim chief executive officer, following the unexpected departure of former CEO Charles Jeffers. 

“We thank Charles for his contributions to Bermuda during a very difficult period for the country and the world at large,” said Wayne Caines, chairman of the board of directors of the Bermuda Tourism Authority, in a statement. 

Tracy Berkley, previously the BTA’s chief administration officer, has replaced Jeffers as interim CEO, while plans are “in motion” for a permanent replacement. 

Berkley becomes the third CEO for the BTA in two years. 

In February 2020, just before the pandemic, then-CEO Kevin Dallas resigned. 

A year later, a global search led to Jeffers, a native of Bermuda, for the role, who came to the BTA after having served previously as COO of Visit Baltimore. 

“We have a dynamic agenda of initiatives and a highly qualified executive leadership team to help realize the transformational tourism growth for Bermuda that is critical at this moment in time, as the world emerges from a global pandemic and we start our summer season,” Caines said. “I am very excited about our future.”

The BTA says it’s looking to “re-establish” Bermuda as a top level travel consideration, following two years of struggle amid the pandemic. 

The main push, the organization says, is to promote sports and groups, especially sailing and other marine activities. 

Indeed, the island’s hosting of the America’s Cup back in 2017 proved instrumental in its tourism growth, while the Bermuda Open, a relatively new PGA Tour event, has also proven popular.