The newly formed Tourism Authority will be up and running by January, and Minister of Tourism Glen Beache is determined to ensure that the Authority doesn’t become a sidekick of the Ministry of Tourism.{{more}}

Beache made the point as he announced that the Authority will be temporarily headquartered next to the Ministry of Tourism at their new offices at the new National Insurance Services building.

“One of the things I want to make sure is that the Tourism Authority and the Ministry of Tourism do not become one,” Beache said.

He stressed that the Ministry of Tourism will have to be restructured “because the Tourism Authority will now be managing quite a bit of the tourism product.”

Earlier this year, the Board of Directors of the Authority was appointed and Beache admitted at a press conference earlier this week that he was disappointed that the Authority’s operation isn’t further advanced.

“We were hoping that things would have moved a little bit faster. They haven’t!”

Beache said that the board, which includes Joel Providence and Lucille Cozier as Chairman and Deputy Chairman, respectively, has received several applications for the crucial post of Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the new statutory body and he expects a CEO to be appointed by December 15.

He said that several key posts have also been advertised, including that of Marketing Manager and Research Manager of the Authority.

Vidal Browne, Bianca Porter, John West, Ezra Ledger and taxi operator Crispin Charles are the other board members.

Noel Lynch, the former Minister of Tourism of Barbados, has been retained for three months as a consultant to the board to spearhead the startup of the Authority’s operations.

Some members of the Ministry of Tourism’s staff are expected to take up work at the authority as the ministry restructures. (KJ)