Terminated Tourist Board staff received a “fair and generous remuneration package”

—Tourism Minister opines

BY OLIVIA ROSE

Minister of Tourism, Hon Josephine Connolly said employees of the TCI Tourist Board were “given a fair and generous remuneration package” and will have the opportunity to apply for a position at the Destination Management Organisation (DMO).

On Friday, February 3, some 17 employees of the TCI Tourist Board received severance letters ending their employment, as the Government’s plan to dissolve the TCI Tourist Board and transition to a DMO kicks into high gear.

The termination of staff sparked outrage on social media as residents criticised the Government for reneging on its promise that staff would not be made redundant once the DMO is operational.

Many recalled the assurances given by Premier Hon Washington Misick during a meeting last year with staff members, where he promised that no staff would be displaced nor made redundant, as the transition would instead allow for the redefining of roles and responsibilities.

In a statement to the media on Monday, February 6, the Tourism Minister attempted to clarify the matter and dispel some of the inaccuracies contained in a letter publicly circulated regarding the closure of the Tourist Board.

She said: “I wish to assure every resident of Turks and Caicos that this Government will always act in the best interest of every Belonger.

“Our tourism destination has weathered many storms and our industry’s success can be attributed to the efforts of our professionals at the Tourist Board and the Ministry of Tourism, and to a wide crosssection of residents, stakeholders, and industry partners, supporters, and influencers, here and overseas.”

The Tourism Minister explained that in keeping with the economic development strategy of the government, a decision was made to restructure and modernise the entity responsible for the management and marketing of the tourism sector.

To this end, the Government is in the process of creating a new tourism Destination Management Organisation (DMO) which will replace the current Tourist Board.

She said: “This plan has been in progress for several months and we have taken the time to discuss it with every member of staff of the Tourist Board, to seek their input and to explain the opportunities that would be available to anyone who wished to continue working in the public service.

“With the help of one of our local human resource experts, we have interviewed each of the 17 employees of the Tourist Board, to ensure that no stone is left unturned.

“We know which staff members opted to take positions in the private sector, and which ones expressed an interest in continuing to work in the public service.”

She said: “Each member of staff was “given a fair and generous remuneration package.

“In addition, each member of staff was then given the opportunity to apply for a position in the new DMO, once the final structure of the DMO has been decided and approved.”

PUBLIC/ PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP

In an effort to take the territory’s bread and butter industry to new heights, the Tourism Minister disclosed that the DMO will be a public/private partnership aimed at distributing the benefits of the tourism sector across the entire destination.

She said: “It will be what’s known in the industry as a smart DMO; it will utilise state-of-the-art data-management techniques and the latest technology, to identify our best possible target customers.”

The Tourism Minister stressed that copious research reinforces the fact that most successful enterprises are public/private partnerships.

She said: “Throughout the tourism industry, it is widely known that destinations in the Caribbean and around the world have restructured their tourism entities to reflect the efficiency and innovativeness demanded by today’s highly competitive realities.

“The fact is, Turks and Caicos is well-positioned to build on its successes and well-advised not to simply rely upon them.

Connolly underscored that the territory has a “grand opportunity” to use the success achieved thus far to further catapult to the next level.

She said: “We cannot afford to rest on our laurels, as fortune favours the brave, those who recognise an opportunity and seize the moment.

“The future success of this country and our ability to maintain our position in the world as a highly sought-after destination is dependent on how well we seize this moment to restructure and reposition ourselves not only to meet the needs of today but the tourism demands of tomorrow.

“The robust manner in which tourism destinations have emerged from the doldrums of the pandemic will serve as a reminder to all of us that deliberate, well-targeted and properly resourced tourism entities are the ones most likely to succeed in the future.

“The birth of this powerful new TCI DMO will serve as an example of what a small, developing tourism destination can truly achieve when we work together.

According to the Minister, as part of its functions, the DMO will conduct many of the tasks currently assigned to the Tourist Board along with a number of essential responsibilities.

She said: “It will be a collaborative effort between the government and the private sector and will be properly funded to meet its objectives.

“It will be a model of effective management and employee efficiency while ensuring financial accountability and transparency.

“It will create a fulfilling and rewarding work environment and will strive to earn public confidence in its ability to meet the growing demands of this highly competitive industry”.

In preparation for the highly anticipated transition, Connolly disclosed that the Government has enlisted the input of industry stakeholders as a critical component of the process of creating the new DMO.

She said: “Stakeholder meetings have been held with a range of public and private stakeholder groups, across all islands; very detailed presentations have been made; reports have been circulated; and a DMO Advisory Committee comprising every sector of the tourism industry has met on eight separate occasions to make inputs into the transition from Tourist Board to DMO and to debate the structure and funding of the DMO”.

The KPMG Tourism Strategy report of 2015 recommended a change in the structure of management of the tourism industry.

Higgs calls government’s plan ...

taken to the cleaners every time we have entered into PPP agreements with the private sector.

CONTINUED  or any class or description of goods, may be sold whether by wholesale or retail”. Now to show some “seriousness” and political will, they need to recruit and train consumer protection officers from the TCI. Has any of this been done?

To police prices, the Minister needs to have the right team, create a benchmark of pricing on consumer goods, so that these newly recruited and trained inspectors would be operating within a framework of law and not acting arbitrarily. It would be a good idea as well for the government to give each Turks & Caicos Islander, earning less than $32,000 per annum to be given a monthly stimulus check for at least $1500 so that they could live, breathe and afford higher prices.

Even food vouchers so that they could really shop. Give the people a break.

“Has TCIG secured the blessing of HMG for this proposed PPP and did it sign off on the funding mechanism for the PPP? Is this not using public funds to promote in part private interest?”

Higgs further called on the incumbent Minister to reveal the proposed makeup and structure of the DMO’s Public Private Partnership to the general public.

He said: “Show us how our people will maintain control or retain the final say in how tourism develops in our beautiful country.

“No country dissolves a successful public agency, especially one with an acceptable track record, to privatise it. Such action is viewed with cynicism and is quite often associated with political cronyism.

“Hon Minister it is true that some destinations in the region have restructured the way tourism is marketed and managed in their country.

“However, I am not aware of a single country in the Caribbean, or in the world for that matter, which has seen the growth that TCI has realised on the small budget the board has had to work with, then demolish the said organisation like you and your government are proposing.”

Higgs stressed that he is not opposed to the government working closely with the private sector when there are areas of “common interest and mutual benefit”.

He continued: “But we must remember that the vast majority of the private sector is all about the bottom line and beholden only to its shareholders, even at the expense of our people and the destruction of our environment.

“Hon Minister, I am sure that you are aware that there is very little left in the Turks and Caicos Islands which is ours, or that we control.

“Almost all of our prime land, for tourism development, is out of our hands; our economy is largely owned and driven by others, every day we are becoming more irrelevant in our own country.

“Please remember or be aware that he who owns the land, owns the country.

“He who owns the economy controls the country and he who owns the land and controls the economy at the same time—is king.

“We are lacking in all of these areas and one day it will manifest itself undeniably so, be warned”.