Dear Source,
Last week I attended a presentation of the Puerto Rico Tourism Hotel & Convention Bureau sponsored by the St. Thomas-St. John Hotel Tourism Association. Several V.I. elected officials and candidates were also in attendance.
Executive director Jorge Pesquera described the structure and success of his bureau and that of others around the world. The Puerto Rico Board was incorporated in 1962 and is funded with a portion of the Puerto Rico hotel-room taxes.
As many V.I. Tourism officials have been saying for years, private sector/ public sector tourism boards have been working very well nearly everywhere else for years. Yet the Virgin Islands refuses to enact the program because a select few political cronies do not want to lose their playpens. So the Virgin Islands tourism market goes down hill every day, while the rest of the world improves its tourism product as we watch in despair.
When are our elected officials are going to begin to think about the best interests of the Virgin Islands rather than the best interests of a select few?
Pesquera said it perfectly when he stated that leadership is required to move forward. The Virgin Islands does not have political leadership.
I urge the Virgin Islands to create a private sector/ public sector tourism authority now if we hope to improve the lives of all Virgin Islanders.
Michael Bornn
St. Thomas
Candidate for Governor
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