Minister McNeill has confidence in new JTB Board  

NEW JTB BOARD: Minister of Tourism and Entertainment, Dr. Wykeham McNeill (seated centre) is flanked on his right by his State Minister, Damion Crawford and on his left by Dennis Morrison, newly-appointed Chairman of the Jamaica Tourist Board. Other memb

Minister of Tourism and Entertainment, Dr. Wykeham McNeill is expressing great confidence in the ability of the newly-appointed 10-member Board of Directors of the Jamaica Tourist Board, JTB, which he announced last week.

 According to Minister McNeill “the new Board, under the astute Chairmanship of Mr. Dennis Morrison, possesses the right skill-set to steer this entity into the future. I think he did a good job before and I repose great confidence in him to lead this organization once again. I hope that as we seek to move forward, as a board we can ensure continued positive effects for Jamaica such as increases in our arrival figures and tourism earnings, as well as the diversification of our tourism product.” 

 In issuing his charge to the Board Dr. McNeill, outlined that “I think the Board has a good blend of members with valuable experience led of course by Mr. Morrison and the Director of Tourism and former Chairman Mr. John Lynch. Likewise we will also benefit from the experience of former President of the Jamaica Hotel & Tourist Association Mr. Wayne Cummings and the current President Mrs. Evelyn Smith to name a few. In addition to those persons we have an excellent mix of young, vibrant members such as Vice President of Jamaica Tours Limited Mr. Noel Sloley Jr. and Managing Director at Chukka Caribbean Adventures, Mr. Marc Melville.”

 Other members of the Board are former Director of Tourism Paul Pennicook, General Manager of Rondell Village Limited, Mrs. Carolyn Wright, Vice President of Corporate Marketing and Environmental Affairs at Superclubs,  Zein Issa-Nakash and local hotelier  Kevin Hendrickson. 

Minister McNeill was quick to note that “of this group only Mr. Lynch, Mrs. Smith, Mrs. Issa-Nakash and Mr. Pennicook served on the outgoing Board while all the other members are new to the team, though some have served on the Board in previous years. I know they will bring fresh ideas and we look forward to their contribution.”

Minister said “I think that the Board possesses the right combination of skills to move this organization forward and to help steer our tourism sector into a new frontier. The ministry has changed with the addition of entertainment, so moving forward the board will have to incorporate this aspect more in our marketing efforts given the strong synergies between entertainment and tourism. There has to be that coming together to ensure that both sides of the ministry are successful.” 

 McNeill added, “there are a few key issues that we must move to address speedily as we are facing a few challenges such as the impact that warm weather in some of our markets is having on bookings. The issue of marketing remains high on the agenda as we continue our drive to bolster our position in traditional markets while tapping into emerging markets. Addressing the organizational structure of JTB is also an issue this board will have to examine. Though we have been winning many awards I believe organizations should be under constant review as we seek to improve efficiencies and enhance our internal structures.” 

Minister McNeill thanked all for accepting “this challenge” looked forward “to a very fruitful and successful tenure for you all and I hope you will enjoy your period on the Board.” 

 Newly-appointed JTB Chairman,  Dennis Morrison expressed that “after serving in this capacity from 2002 to 2007 I am very honoured to be asked to serve again.” he said he welcomed all the members of the Board and “ look forward to working with them in a collaborative way as this is critical to ensuring that we are successful in discharging our duties.”