Dana Malcolm’s Q&A with Josephine Connolly, TCI Minister of Tourism

Q:  In terms of the partnership, who has the controlling stake?  Private sector or government?

A: The TCI Destination Management Organisation (DMO) is a Non-Profit Organisation (NPO) whose governance will be under a Board of Directors.  It will be staffed and run on a day-to-day basis by a management team and support staff.

There will be an Assembly of all partners, which will have the role of identifying and appointing the members of the Board of Directors.

The Board of Directors will be composed of 15 members including the Chairman. These members must come from the public and private sectors.  The recommendation is that at least 7 members must be representatives of the public sector.

It is important to note that tourism policy is set by the Government. That will not change. That’s the role of Government. In addition, a Department of Tourism Regulations will be created within the Ministry of Tourism which will be responsible for the certification of the tourism businesses and will assist the Minister in the definition of new tourism policies and regulations.  This new Department will have a staff of 10.

How the funds allocated to the DMO are spent will be based on recommendations from the Board and presented to the Minister in formal detail.  The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism will be on the Board of Directors by virtue of his/her office.

The DMO will follow the TCI Public Management Funds Ordinance which all entities receiving public funds must follow.  The DMO must produce an Annual Report about on the objectives achieved, any deviation from the objectives, and how the financial resources have been used. That report will be submitted to the Minister of Tourism for verification and final approval.

Remember too, that the DMO is a Non-Profit Organization.  Under the law, no profit-sharing and no dividends can go to any members. Some activities of the DMO will generate income.   Any profits made by the DMO must go back into the DMO’s operations and marketing of the destination.

Q: What will the structure of the DMMO look like? Will TC Islanders be well represented?

A:  The DMO will operate through four different Departments that have specific duties. These departments – Marketing, Destination Development, Finance & Operations, and Quality Assurance – will implement activities that will benefit all tourism businesses and stimulate the sustainable tourism development of the entire country.  For the operation to be effective and totally inclusive, Tourism Improvement Districts have been identified, encompassing every segment of TCI and each District will have a seat on the Board of Directors.  The entire operation is designed to be inclusive of the population of TCI.  Total staff of the DMO, excluding Assembly and Board of Directors, will be 25 highly qualified specialists the first year up to 49 when the DMO is fully operative at year 5.

Q:  Who are the consultants working on the project currently?

A:  TCIG has contracted Target Euro Srl to assist the Government in the transition from the Tourist Board to the Destination Management Organisation and the Department of Tourism Regulation.

Target Euro Srl is an Italian consultancy firm, founded in 1997, specialised in the realisation of multi-disciplinary projects with an emphasis on tourism and economic development.

The firm has developed and/or assisted 13 DMOs and Tourism Regulatory Authorities in Latin America, the Caribbean and Europe (see map).

In addition, Target Euro Srl has implemented more than 30 tourism development projects in Latin America and the Caribbean region, and more than 120 tourism development projects worldwide.

For this project, Target Euro Srl has organised a multidisciplinary team composed of 15 international and national highly qualified experts (see organogram below).