EDITORIAL
Why Not a Caymanian?
Thursday, August 5, 2004
The Leader of Government Business and Minister of
Tourism, Hon McKeeva Bush said this week that he does not support bringing in
a foreigner for the vacant post of Director of Tourism.
Instead, Mr Bush said he would like to see a Caymanian
in the position. So would Cayman Net News.
We have long suggested that the key post in the
Department of Tourism should be held by a native son or daughter of the soil,
someone to whom the Cayman Islands is more than just a place to work and call
home for certain period of time; someone who intimately and innately
understands the people and the culture of this country because he or she is
part of that people and culture; someone who has tasted fish tea, played
dominoes late into the night, and someone who has witnessed firsthand the
community coming together in a crisis.
The Cayman Islands tourism slogan goes “Those who know
us, love us” and the same holds true for the Director of Tourism. Who better
to know us and love us than one of us? And as any person in sales and
marketing knows, the job is made much easier when you truly believe in your
product.
The trouble is, while sales and marketing make up a very
important part of the Director of Tourism’s job, for ultimately the position
holders are largely rated on their tourist arrival figures, there is still
much more expertise required for the post.
In today’s more complicated and competitive world, the
Director of Tourism also needs to be a strong manager with a balanced
background in other disciplines such as finance, human resources and research.
The Director also must be an out-going people person that can speak well, and
be strong-willed in the face of political pressures.
While Cayman Net News agrees with Mr Bush that Acting
Director of Tourism Pilar Bush would be a good choice as the next permanent
Director, Ms Bush has indicated that she is undecided whether she will apply
for the position.
The question becomes then, if not Pilar Bush, what other
Caymanian is willing and able to hold the vitally important position of
Director of Tourism?
Making the finding of the right person for the post even
more critical currently is the recent turnover of key personnel in the
Department and Ministry of Tourism. Permanent Secretary Charles Clifford
resigned from the Ministry last week, and someone new will have to be found to
hold that post. Should Ms Bush decide not to pursue the Director’s position,
fresh faces will have to be installed for that post and the Deputy Director’s
as well. All in all, it could make for a very challenging transition period to
say the least.
It might become necessary, therefore, to hire someone
from overseas to become the next Director of Tourism. Should this happen,
however, a Caymanian should be hired for the Deputy position, and someone who
has the capabilities to be groomed as a successor into a Director of Tourism
in the future.
As many former Directors of Tourism have learned, the
position is a highly politicised one that takes a certain kind of person to
hold. Many in the past have not been up to the political pressures. Indeed, it
is hard to blame Pilar Bush for wanting to leave the Civil Service and go into
a private sector business where she can probably make a lot more money with a
lot less hassle.
Still, since tourism is one of the two key pillars that
uphold Cayman’s economy, it is important that those Caymanians who are capable
of holding the Director of Tourism post, whether it is today or in the future,
put their country above self and serve their country.
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