British Virgin Islands Tourist Board Notes PDF

Tourism as an Economic Activity Identify the contribution of tourism to the economy of the BVI.  The British Virgin Islands Tourist Board The British Virgin Islands Tourist Board was established under Act. Chapter 280. Ordinance 1969. The British Virgin Islands Tourist Bo...

Tourism as an Economic Activity Identify the contribution of tourism to the economy of the BVI.  The British Virgin Islands Tourist Board The British Virgin Islands Tourist Board was established under Act. Chapter 280. Ordinance 1969. The British Virgin Islands Tourist Board was established as a Statutory Body to develop and promote the British Virgin Islands tourism product and market the British Virgin Islands. In 1972 the first Tourist Board Office was opened on Main Street. Mr. Richard Bathan was hired as the first staff member and his position was Executive Secretary to the Board. The growing tourism industry made it even more critical that the British Virgin Islands Tourist Board be established to focus on tourism. Statistics continue to show growth as evidenced by the tourism figures for the years 1978-1979. This growth was a positive indicator of the British Virgin Islands’ future in tourism.  Vision: To establish the British Virgin Islands as the premier tourism destination in the region with sustainable use of its natural resources and unique qualities and characteristics.  Mission: To lead the Tourism sector for the British Virgin Islands with purpose, pride and excellence; ensuring sustainability of our product and high quality visitor experience.  Goals 1. Increase the economic contribution to the British Virgin Islands by: a. Attracting a more discerning and higher spending visitor; and b. Increasing the number of visitors, especially repeat visitors; 2. Provide a superior destination experience for visitors by developing and expanding the number and quality of product offerings; 3. Solve the issue of the seasonality of the tourism cycle; 4. Adopt and promote a more sustainable approach to tourism development; 5. Build and sustain a close working relationship between the British Virgin Islands Tourist Board and the business trade, product partners and media; 6. Increase public awareness of the importance of tourism to the British Virgin Islands economy; and 7. Work as a proactive, effective and efficient team of Tourism professionals investing and focusing on action that brings the most return on investment, in the most sustainable way.  Tourism value to the B.V.I. Tourism by far, plays a very important role in the development and sustainability of the British Virgin Islands. Tourism can provide value for a destination in a number of ways:  Economic: Increased and diversified economic activity; flow on economic benefits through a community; stimulus for economic development and investment; In 2013 Tourism contributed US$277,896,000 GDP or 30.35% to the total GDP of US$915,601,000, according to statistics released by the Central Statistics Office.  Social/Cultural: Enhanced quality of life, community development, employment and income, conservation of cultural heritage, increased amenities, and community pride.  Environmental: Awareness of environmental significance, conservation of natural and built environments, and implementation of sustainable practices. The Role of the Tourism Sector in Expanding Economic Opportunity Tourism development can affect the livelihood strategies of local households, the business climate for small enterprise development, patterns of growth of the local or national economy, and the infrastructure or natural resource base of the destination. Tourism also tends to employ a relatively high proportion of women and help them to purchase products, such as foods and crafts, produced by women in the informal sector – and as a result, may be able to enhance women’s economic positions and help overcome gender barriers. In certain locations, the tourism sector has a key role to play in planning for and responding to natural disasters, which often have particularly serious effects on poor communities.