Second Place for Bahamas Jr Minister of Tourism
Bahamas Jr. Minister of Tourism 2017 Michael Wallace secured a second-place finish at the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) Youth Congress in Grenada, on Friday.
Wallace, a student of St. Anne’s School in New Providence, presented on the topic, “Signature Tourism Products – Strengthening the image of your destination”. Wallace presented the idea of The Island Hop, a proposed mini-cruise experience throughout The Islands of The Bahamas. It’s an idea that the 17-year-old thought would bring young travelers to The Bahamas for new fun and exciting experiences.
“Island Hop will provide tourists with experiences and memories that will leave them wanting more. In order for The Bahamas to remain a year-round tourist destination, we must offer more than warm climate and clean beaches. The island hop cruise concept can be used to reveal our diversity and encourage different tourism trends. This initiative will incorporate all aspects of the Bahamian brand including nature, culture, history and food,” Wallace told the room packed of tourism professionals.
Bahamas Tourism and Aviation Director General Joy Jibrilu and Parliamentary Secretary and former Jr Minister of Tourism Travis Robinson were in the audience.
“The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism congratulates Michael on a job well done. We are proud to call him our Jr. Minister of Tourism and now we can say that he competed against the very best in the Caribbean and came second. This is an accomplishment that we can all be very proud of,” Mrs. Jibrulu said.
With the help of Samantha Cartwright, Senior Executive of the Tourism Cadet and Schools Unit, Wallace has been developing his idea for months and did it in such a way that his speech paid homage to the unique experiences on every island of the tour in The Bahamas.
“Michael was a true statesman even with the difficult mystery question he was given. He prepared, executed and did the best he could given the circumstances. We are very happy with his performance,” Mrs. Cartwright said.
Each student was given a mystery question aimed to test them in three core areas: research skills, expressing themselves clearly and thinking on their feet. They are given one minute to formulate their answers.
The Youth Congress was held during the CTO State of the Tourism Industry Conference (SOTIC) held October 10-13 and is structured to mirror a CTO Board of Directors’ Meeting with an agenda and topics on significant tourism issues.
Last year’s Bahamas Jr. Minister of Tourism Gabriele Josephs won the CTO Youth Congress in Barbados. He served as the Chairperson for this year’s congress.