Bill To Amend Bermuda Tourism Authority Board
The Bermuda Tourism Authority Amendment Act 2018 was tabled in the House on Friday, with the Bill seeking to “amend the Bermuda Tourism Authority Act 2013 in relation to the Board of the Bermuda Tourism Authority.”
The Bill states that “future members of the Board will be appointed by the Minister after consultation with the Board for a term of three years,” whereas the 2013 Act [PDF] stated that a member of the Board “shall be elected by the Board, after consultation with the Minister.”
It also allows for the Minister, after consulting the Chairman, to appoint a Deputy Chairman of the Board, who “may be a current member of the Board or some other person, but in any case shall have suitable qualifications and experience in the travel and tourism sectors.”
The Bill also states, “The Minister may, after consultation with the Board, give to the Board directions of a general character as to the exercise and performance by the Board of its functions in relation to matters which appear to him to affect the public interest; and the Board shall give effect to any such directions.”
Other Bills and documents tabled on Friday include the Bermuda Hospitals Board [Hospital Fees] Regulations 2018 [PDF here], Customs Tariff Amendment [No. 3] Bill 2018 [PDF here], Debt Collection Bill 2018 [PDF here], Future Care Fund Financial Statements 2016 [PDF here], Health Insurance Fund Financial Statements 2016 [PDF here], Investment Funds Amendment Bill 2018 [PDF here], Land Title Registration [Amendment to Stamp Duties Act 1976] Regulations 2018 [PDF here], Mutual Re-Insurance Fund Financial Statements 2016 [PDF here], Nursing Amendment Bill 2018 [PDF here], and the Criminal Code [Sex Offender Management] Amendment Act 2018 [PDF/article here]
The Bermuda Tourism Authority Amendment Bill 2018 follows below [PDF here]:
And backwards we go…
For all their faults, and they had many, one of the best things the OBA did was to de-politicise tourism and let tourism professionals run the show.
Remember the heady days of the Playboy Mansion, Global Hue and the use of the tourism budget as a slush fund? How did all those new hotel developments go, and the “platinum period”. It was utter failure.
Now, we’re going back to political control.
Waiting for the announcement that Island Construction is renovating Port Royal.
You don’t know how right you really could be
The BTA will be populated by PLP puppets.
When BTA was formed they said they will be self sufficiant, but Government still give them $25 Million to operate,CEO gets $1000 a day and over $50,000 for incentivze even if they under perform. If they want Government funding then Government have the right to make descions.
If they want to make it private and make their own decisions, then they fund BTA themselves.
OBA did a good job by legislating a private company funded by tax payers money.
Game Over.
You really are a simpleton aren’t you.
How much per day is $1.2m? Just out of interest. For doing nothing.
Well if OBA didnt have so much hate and evil in there heart to try and destroy his business, then we would’nt be having this conversation.
But he is one of de lucky ones that gets a form of REPARATION.
Bye bye tourism.
Way to go! Fix what is not broken. Leave the BTA alone. The management of tourism should have been de-politised long before 1998 & returned to the format of the old Trade Development Board which what essentially it is now.
How did the years of DrEB as Mnister work out for everyone in the hospitalty business anyway? You all stll getting paychecks from places like Lantana, Sonesta & a whole bunch more?
BTA is a money tree for friends and family, taxpayers money for a private money scheme club.
That’s demonstrably untrue. Why are you a liar?
Do you lie to children too?
If I read this correctly this Bill is intended to have the Board members more involved with direction of the BTA. The BTA has become the ‘Big Pink Elephant’ that is funded, directly or indirectly, from the government purse without any real oversight. Tourism numbers are “up” around the world and Bermuda is benefitting from this along with the efforts of the BTA. However, BTA doesn’t have to produce ROI facts to show that their efforts are producing results to justify the millions of dollars they are funded. The BTA spends large sums each year on reports, conferences, etc. all geared to enhance their image but are they really earning it?
If only there was some way you could answer your own questions.
This money scheme club got BUSTED.
Idiot. Fundamentally stupid. This is why we can’t have nice things. This is why the PLP are failures and destroy everything they touch.
You live Wakanda fantasy role play land. Muppet.
Honey; go see Adam.
I’m sure he has a leaf for you. Idiot.
Yes, they are earning it.
April and May this year along with Oct and Nov way stronger this year than in years past. This is a direct result of BTA’s work to extend the cruise season and grow business in the shoulder seasons.
If I recall correctly I don’t think Zane had a great track record as Tourism minister. Leave it to the professionals at BTA who are seeing results.
just leave it well enough aloneWe DO NOT need the minister in full control. They the BTA have to answer for their actions and are judged on their performance which if I say so myself is FAR FAR FAR better than the govts
I seem to recall many years ago (1980s) calls for an independent tourism authority.
We now have an independent tourism authority and the government is abolishing it in favour of a committee controlled by the Minister.
Go figure!
Snout. Trough. You join the dots.
Time to clean shop as they were supposed to be self funded in 12 months of being formed but continue to eat our public funds so they need to answer to us and are not independent if they use our money!
I, for one, am looking forward to more PLP failure and incompetence.
It will be a breath of fresh air after four years of success and growth. I mean, who needs that?
Lol, how exactly are they supposed to self fund ? Has the ministry of tourism ever been self funded? Don’t just make stuff up and if they use public funds well , as in create growth in visitor numbers, why on earth would you not want that to continue. Mind boggling idiocy.
Before there was a DOT we had a TDB, Trade Development Board, which was funded by businesses with interests in tourism. The TDB did a great job from post WW2 through the 60s. In the 70s Government started to get involved & eventually knocked the good work of the TDB right off the rails.
Finally, thanks to the OBA, the BTA was created with a vision of being self supporting just like the TDB. The PLP wants to take us back to the days of the ineefective DOT.
So you support the idea of making unproductive employees redundant then? Just want to make sure. Hadn’t had that impression in the past.
So Vacation properties are mandated to pay tax -Tax goes direct to BTA- & all of a sudden ‘Someone’ in GOVE want control of the board! Reading between the lines.
BTA has gone Hollywood with Pemthouse offices and personnel who travel constantly between Bermuda and New York. It’s called a phone and it’s free over the Internet! Time to reign these guys in instead of paying expensive OBA rents which is the OBA plan to make money from these entities!
GlobsalHue
Faith Based Tourism
Playboy Mansion
Fake Charity in LA
Yeah, until you can address all of that, you need to crawl back under your rock.
Well they sure are very good at screwing up everything they touch…. the plp are control freaks and want to be able to put freinds and family on boards to collect a paycheck …what a shame and to be honest they won’t contribute a thing because when you don’t know you just don’t know. plp faithful this is what 25-11 gets you hope you enjoy the ride its going to cost you more than you could ever imagine ….. we will pay we will all pay for their inability to run this country anywhere but down
I cannot think of any circumstance in which a successful enterprise is going to be improved by having Zane involved. Especially where access to public funds is involved.
Has everyone forgotten about Port Royal? $24m goes up in smoke, a Commission establishes there was a clear conflict of interest, and nothing comes of it.
What kind of a third world banana republic are we.
Why,is the PLP stuck in stupid or what. This system works why mess with it.
It is all quite simple. If the OBA initiated it, it must be bad & has to be dismantled.
So now we have a Minister with absolutely zero experience in the hospitality industry wanting to micromanage it. How did that work out for us the last time we had that?
It’s astonishing that government would want to meddle with the only tourism success in about thirty years. Where are their heads?
Now this is where I really think the Premier has lost his mind if he allows this to happen. Whatever you think about BTA, their independence has allowed an almost dying bred to rise again. Of all people to be appointed Tourism minister….this person will destroy all the progress that has been made. REALLY BERMUDA?????