Ten outstanding students from secondary schools across the Virgin Islands (VI) will compete for the prestigious title of Virgin Islands Junior Ambassador of Tourism on Thursday, June 4, 2026. Photo: BVITBFC

The 2025 competition was won by Ms Auri-Ana A. Elshabbaz. Photo: BVITBFC

The annual competition, organised by the Training Department of the BVI Tourist Board & Film Commission (BVITBFC), will be held at the Maria’s by the Sea Hotel Conference Room, beginning at 2:00 PM.

The winner will have the honour of representing the VI at the Caribbean Tourism Youth Congress, which is scheduled to take place in Guyana as a key feature of the Caribbean Tourism Organisation’s (CTO) annual State of the Tourism Industry Conference (SOTIC) from October 5 to 9, 2026.

Director of Tourism, Clive L. McCoy, expressed enthusiasm about this year’s increased participation and broad representation across the Territory.  “We are pleased to see increased participation and representation from all the Territory’s secondary schools. This competition provides an excellent platform for our young people to debate and present innovative solutions to real-world tourism challenges...This is one of the annual initiatives I look forward to most, as it continues to raise awareness among our youth about the importance of tourism to the Virgin Islands and encourages their active involvement in the industry.” 

Participants 

All secondary schools across the Territory were invited to participate; and the participating students are as follows: Annabelle Maina (Cedar International School), Arianna Irons (Seventh-day Adventist School), Anayah Thomas (Virgin Islands School of Technical Studies), Caleb Stoutt (Elmore Stoutt High School), Khloe Glasgow-Dabreo (Ciboney Centre for Excellence), Angelica Budhu (Elmore Stoutt High School), Mayanna Pope (Bregado Flax Educational Centre Secondary Division), Naijah Vanterpool (Claudia Creque Educational Centre), Yachristian Roberts (St. George’s Secondary School), and Mary Joseph (Seventh-day Adventist School).

Students selected one of four tourism-related topics provided by the CTO and will each deliver a three-minute presentation. The competition will also feature a mystery question segment, during which participants will have one minute to prepare and one minute to respond. 

Debate Topics

This year’s presentation topics are: Multigenerational Travel Product Development, Social Media & Sustainable Destination Management, Cultural Industries & Tourism Innovation, and The New Age of Tourism Professionals.

The winner will also receive a custom-made plaque from Bamboushay engraved with their name, a one-month internship with the BVI Tourist Board & Film Commission, recognition as a CCT Ambassador, a laptop, a phone with one year of service from CCT, a For De Kulture tote, a prize from the National Bank of the Virgin Islands, and a swag bag from the BVI Tourist Board & Film Commission.