By the Caribbean Journal staff

The US Virgin Islands is looking to deepen its ties in the cruise industry, and has announced a major new hire to spearhead the strategy.

The USVI Department of Tourism has tapped industry specialist Joe Boschulte to bolster the work of the Ports of the Virgin Islands, which is an alliance between the Virgin Islands Port Authority, The West Indian Company Limited and the Department of Tourism.

In a statement, US Virgin Islands Tourism Commissioner Beverly Nicholson-Doty said the move would help the territory “achieve operational improvements to the cruise ship sector as well as economic benefits to the community.”

Boschulte most recently served as president and CEO of the West Indian Company Limited, one of the Caribbean’s busiest cruise ship ports.

“I look forward to the opportunity to work with the team to build the Ports of the Virgin Islands brand,”  Boschulte said. “As we embark on a new cruise season, the horizon is bright for record cruise passenger growth in the Territory for the next decade.”