Gingerland Secondary School student is Nevis’ 2014 Junior Minister of Tourism

NIA Charlestown Nevis — The Ministry of Tourism hosted its annual Bank of Nevis Ltd. Tourism Youth Congress on May 08, 2014 where the new Junior Minister of Tourism. Rol-j Williams of the Gingerland Secondary School (GSS) was declared the winner while Charlestown Secondary School (CSS) representatives Paige James and Cheslin Maloney won second and third place respectively.

The Tourism Youth Congress is an annual event hosted by the Ministry of Tourism to select a participant who will represent Nevis in the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) State of the Industry Conference. This year the meeting will be held in St Thomas. While delivering remarks during the opening ceremony, Premier of Nevis and Minister of Education Hon. Vance Amory, explained the importance of tourism on Nevis and the significance of hosting the congress.

“When we look at Nevis itself, every household in Nevis, without question, benefits and is impacted by the tourism industry. Whether you are directly employed or your family or members of your family are directly employed as employees in the hotels or the restaurants or you are a taxi driver or some member of your family is engaged by that provision of service or as tour operators or other ancillary services… all of those are impacted on by tourism.

“We therefore want to see this Youth Congress as an important vehicle to get a greater grasp and understanding of the importance and the significance of tourism and the tourism industry. As far as the Government is concerned, we depend very greatly on the receipts of the tourism industry,” he said.

Mr Amory took the opportunity to pledge the Nevis Island Administration’s commitment to training and educating students in the hospitality industry.

“As Minister of Education, we [NIA] would be willing to support applicants who want to become trained in the hospitality industry, professionally trained…We have been engaging in discussions with our largest property owners on this matter and I think we are beginning to get a little light,” he said.

Also present at the brief ceremony were Manager of the Bank of Nevis Ltd. L. Everette Martin, Marketing Officer Bronte Swanston-Hendrickson and Assistant Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism Carl Williams.