Sept. 13, 2007 – Lauritz Mills, director of the Bureau of Economic Research (BER), will be the guest speaker at the September membership meeting of the U.S. Virgin Islands Hotel & Tourism Association. The luncheon meeting will be held at noon on Wednesday, Sept. 19, at Holiday Inn Windward Passage.
Mills, a ten-year veteran of the agency, will speak on such topics as the accurate submission of occupancy reports, the importance of timely information submission, the most effective ways to utilize the reports generated by her office, and how the data is recorded at the department. The bureau is charged with collecting, producing and disseminating tourism and economic data, evaluating tourism and economic trends, creating economic and fiscal forecasts and implementing and monitoring economic development plans for the territory.
"The reports produced by BER identify so many variables important to the marketing of the destination," said Rik Blyth, president of the V.I. Hotel & Tourism Association. "We are able to identify such things as visitor origin markets, statistics on air arrivals, and guest expenditures. Her presentation will underscore the importance of timely and accurate submission of information and the beneficial utilization of the data."
The meeting is open to the public. However, R.S.V.P.'s are encouraged. If you are interested in attending, contact the association office at 774-6835.
