New Tourism Authority Coming
Mr. RohanSmall (left), a Partner at Ernst & Young, and the Hon. McKeevaBush, Minister of Tourism, shake hands after signing an agreementfor Ernst & Young to assist in studying the feasibility ofestablishing a Tourism Authority in the Cayman Islands.
The Ministry of Tourism has engaged theCayman Islands Office of Ernst & Young to assist in studyingthe feasibility of moving the Department of Tourism (DOT) to a"Tourism Authority" to oversee tourism development andmanagement in the Cayman Islands.
The Tourism Authority, a quasi-Governmentinstitution with private sector participation, would no longerbe controlled directly by the Ministry or funded solely by Government.It would ultimately be responsible to a Board of Directors comprisedof representatives from both Government and private sector stakeholdersin the tourism industry.
According to Mr. Rohan Small, a Partnerin the accounting firm of Ernst & Young, the study will involveobtaining an understanding of the functioning and effectivenessof tourism authorities and similar organizations operating withina select list of jurisdictions around the world.
Additionally, through a questionnaire, theMinistry will consult with stakeholders in Cayman's tourism industry(hoteliers, retailers, developers, tour operators, dive operators,environmentalists, academics, key members of the financial servicessector, etc.) to ascertain what types of structures they wouldlike to see put into place and what levels of participation andfunding they would like to see come from the private sector.
According to the Hon. McKeeva Bush, Ministerof Tourism, "We are looking for a 100 percent response rateto this questionnaire. We wish to solicit and consider the viewsof everyone in our tourism industry, so I am urging all recipientsto respond promptly, frankly and fully."
Mr. Small and Mr. Bush emphasized the importanceof objectivity and confidentiality involved in the process, pointingout that the Questionnaires will be returned directly to Ernst& Young, and all of the information will be compiled and summarizedfor Government and the DOT. The identity of the participants willbe kept confidential by the accounting firm.
Ernst & Young will collate the informationgathered during the study in a form that will help the Governmentdetermine whether the establishment of a Tourism Authority isfeasible and advantageous. The results of this study will be presentedto the Ministry by mid-'November 2002.
The transition from wholly Government-controlledactivities, such as tourism promotion and marketing, to public/privatesector "authorities" has been gaining favor internationally.
In many countries, including the CaymanIslands, increased demands on limited public revenues to provideessential services have required Governments to re-examine theirrole in activities that might be handled more efficiently andeffectively by a quasi-governmental entity that would be partiallycontrolled and partially funded by the private sector.
It is worth noting that both the Vision2008 Plan and the Ten Year Tourism Development Plan (1992-2002)recommended the establishment of a Tourism Authority to overseetourism management in the Cayman Islands.