A leaked email today, May 15, 2020, has revealed that the Director of the BVI Tourist Board, Mrs Sharon P. Flax-Brutus intends to call it quits at the end of the year. Photo: VINO/File

Mrs Sharon P. Flax-Brutus (centre), a Tourism sector veteran, was first appointed Director of Tourism in 2013. Her contract was last renewed in January 2019 by the then National Democratic Party (NDP) government for a further three years, starting January 1, 2019 and ending December 31, 2021. Photo: VINO/File

News of Mrs Sharon P. Flax-Brutus' intention to depart as Director of the BVI Tourist Board (BVITB) comes at a time when tourism continues to take a beat down from the global coronavirus pandemic and faces a rocky road ahead. Photo: GIS/File

A large crowd at Setting Point for the 2017 Anegada Lobster Festival. The popular Anegada Lobster Festival and BVI Food Fete were among the major events during the tenure of BVI Tourist Board Director, Mrs Sharon P. Flax-Brutus. Photo: VINO/File

The email of the press release announcing Mrs Flax-Brutus’ intention was also leaked to our newsroom today, May 15, 2020.

“After a very successful tenure (8years) as Director of Tourism/Head of the BVI Tourist Board and Film Commission, Sharon Flax-Brutus has decided it is time to hang up her shoes on November 15th, 2020,” the press release stated.

Mrs Flax-Brutus has since confirmed the legitimacy of the press release to our newsroom, although not offering to comment further.

The press release said Flax-Brutus took VI tourism to levels it had never achieved before, highlighting that the Territory attained the recognition as an award-winning tourism destination, breaking record arrivals in 2016 by welcoming over 1 million visitors and rebuilding its tourism product following the 2017 hurricanes.

Accomplishments

It also said Mrs Flax-Brutus can be credited for several major achievements during her tenure including, inspiring a new generation of tourism professionals via the Management training and tourism education programmes, paving the way for talented VI Athletes to attend the prestigious IMG Academy through partnership with The Miami Open, launching a Destination training programme in conjunction with the Disney Institute Training, that has been unprecedented in the industry, paving the way for other destinations, and entering new and emerging markets giving the VI a competitive advantage, and enabling the Territory to forge relationships with major consortia and leading travel companies.

The long list of accomplishments listed in the press release also included raising the VI Tourism profile locally, regionally and globally “as a strong advocate for the BVI as a tourism destination, launching two major advertising campaigns which successfully repositioned the BVI as a leading tourism destination, building a strong partnership between the Board and BVI Tourism stakeholders, negotiating the payment of accommodation taxes with Airbnb, launching BVI Food Fete in November 2013, a month of various activities and events including the popular Anegada Lobster Festival, that has brought significant international attention to the territory’s culinary offerings.”

Time to move on

The press release also had comments from Mrs Flax-Brutus.

 “It has been my pleasure working with the BVI Tourist Board and Film Commission and to represent this Territory which I am so proud to be a citizen of globally. I am gratified by my achievements over the last 8 years, but I think it is time to move on and focus on other ways which will continue to benefit the BVI tourism industry.

“I wish to thank the Board as well as successive governments for giving me the opportunity to serve our country at such a senior level. I also wish to thank my head office team here in BVI as well as my colleagues in the United States as well as the United Kingdom.”

Flax-Brutus also said partnerships and relationships are “golden in the tourism industry" and she appreciated the work that worldwide agencies, as well as the travel trade and journalists, have done in supporting her and by extension the Virgin Islands.

“I will work with the Board over the next 6 months to ensure a smooth transition as we work together to re-open the BVI following COVID-19,” Mrs Flax-Brutus said.

Mrs Flax-Brutus, a tourism sector veteran, was first appointed Director in 2013.

Her contract as Tourist Board Director was last renewed in January 2019 by the then National Democratic Party (NDP) government for a further three years, starting January 1, 2019, and ending December 31, 2021.