Six students will participate in the 2015 Bank of Nevis Ltd. Tourism Youth Congress (TYC) hosted by the Ministry of Tourism on Wednesday 13th May at the Occasions Center, commencing at 10:00am. The students vying to become Nevis’ next Youth Junior Minister of Tourism are Vinicia Gumbs and Sabrina Orr from the Gingerland Secondary School, Shanai Liburd and K-Jel Smithen from Charlestown Secondary and Tarana Kacker and Kayla Sandiford from the Nevis International Secondary.
The Tourism Youth Congress is an initiative of the Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO) aimed at involving Caribbean Youths in discussions on contemporary issues impacting tourism, the region’s dependent industry. Students ages 14 – 17 are eligible to participate in the event.
Participants are required to assume the role of “Junior Ministers of Tourism” at a round table discussion that mirrors a CTO board of directors’ meeting and present their views on salient issues impacting the tourism industry. The event takes the format of two rounds on discussion. Students will deliver a prepared speech in round one, on a given topic that they would have researched prior to the event. Conversely, in round two a mystery question will be asked that requires impromptu presentations. The reigning Caribbean Youth Junior Minister of Tourism, Rol-J Williams, a fourth form student of the Gingerland Secondary School, will moderate the round table discussions.
In preparation for the 2015 TYC the Ministry of Tourism held preliminary activities with participants to broaden their awareness of the local tourism plant. These activities included educational tours at the Four Seasons Resort and the Nevisian Heritage Village on Nevis as well as the Eco Park and Kittitian Hill on St. Kitts. Students also met with management and staff at the Bank of Nevis Ltd. on a courtesy call to the bank. The Bank of Nevis Ltd. is the premiere sponsor of the event for a fourth consecutive year.
The winner of the local TYC will represent Nevis at the Regional Tourism Youth Congress in Curacao in October of this year, during the CTO’s State of the Industry Conference. Nevis has won the regional Tourism Youth congress for the past two consecutive years.
Key Stakeholders and the general public are invited to attend the 2015 Bank of Nevis Ltd. Tourism Youth Congress.