Thursday 7 July - Road Town, Tortola - The BVI Yachting Hotel & Tourism Association (BVIYHTA) will host its first set of tourism industry meetings July 11-13, at the BVI Finance Conference Room, 3rd Floor Cutlass Tower.
The State of the Industry Stakeholder’s Meetings will focus on the future of tourism in the Virgin Islands, with topics to include Labour Issues & Solutions, Wellness vs Medical Tourism, Navigating the Government Space, and Operating A Small Business in the BVI. The 3-day meetings, which will be live streamed, will also provide an overview of the marine sector and dissect Events Tourism.
The Symposium will host an impressive lineup of speakers within the industry locally, regionally and internationally, along with other Government officials and stakeholders. Speakers include the Honourable Lorna G. Smith, OBE, Deputy Premier and Minister of Financial Services, Trade and Labour, Sandra Grisham-Clothier of Scrub Island, Doug Riegels of Anegada Beach Club, Loose Mongoose & Lobster Trap, Marvin Flax of OBMI, Colin O’Neal of JOMA, international speaker Brian Hester of AYS Sports Marketing Inc. and Nerdin St. Rose, Caribbean tourism consultant.
“Our symposium is designed to educate our community about the different facets of BVI tourism as well as the opportunities and challenges facing our industry in a competitive world. We’ve reached out to a cadre of industry insiders, and outsiders, whose work is linked to the sector and created a forum for interaction, collaboration, and communication” stated Sharon Flax- Brutus, Interim Director of BVIYHTA.
Launched on 5 May, 2023, the BVIYHTA is an organization laser focused on all things tourism in the Virgin Islands. The BVIYHTA joins a group of successful sister hotel and tourism associations around the Caribbean whose directors have been pivotal in guiding the swift recovery of their tourism sector post pandemic. The legal structure of the new entity will be a BVI incorporated company, governed by a Board of Directors who are representatives of the various sectors of the industry.