Whether Gov. Charles Turnbull’s veto of a tourism authority stands, members of the Senate majority hinted Tuesday that they will propose a revised version.
At a meeting of the Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday, Chairwoman Alicia "Chucky" Hansen grilled acting Tourism Commissioner Pamela Richards and Assistant Commissioner Monique Sibilly-Hodge on what advice they gave Turnbull on the tourism authority and a proposal to raise the hotel occupancy tax by 2 percent.
Richards and Sibilly-Hodge said they opposed raising the tax from 8 percent to 10 percent, which Turnbull approved, and they were against creating the authority. Such a move would dismantle the Tourism Department and institute a public-private board to implement and manage the territory’s tourism policies.
Richards said the issue of control over the territory’s marketing efforts was one of the issues that caused her to oppose the authority proposal. She also said that control over how the territory, particularly St. Croix, is portrayed in advertising was a concern.
"Control of the marketing message is better controlled by the government with the input of the private sector," Richards said, adding that some in the tourism industry want St. Croix to be showcased as a Danish island.
"There is a lot of background there," she said, regarding colonialism and slavery.
Hansen and Sen. Norma Samuels, however, pressed Richards on who is pushing the Danish connection. Richards said it was primarily the cruise ship industry and her concern over that issue was just an example of her overall problems with a tourism authority.
Hansen said Turnbull’s decisions on the authority and the tax hike, which were directly opposite what the private sector wanted, proved that a new approach is needed in government.
"It’s a great example of why it is we need an authority," she said.
How a future tourism authority would be structured, though, remains a question. Richards said another problem with the proposal Turnbull vetoed was that the commissioner of Finance would have retained control of funds generated by the room tax used to market the territory. That, she said, is one of the problems faced now by the commissioner of Tourism.
"It is the same as it is now," Richards said. "What is the difference?"
Sen. Carlton Dowe said he would consider moving legislation that addressed the control issue and financing. He asked the president of the St. Thomas-St. John Hotel and Tourism Association, Richard Doumeng, if the private sector would spend more to market the territory if the tax increase was repealed and an authority approved.
"The stakeholders want input on how their investment is marketed," Doumeng replied. "I think the difference in the 2 percent can be more than made up if there was a true public-private partnership."
In its policy agenda released prior to the veto of the tourism authority, the Senate majority said it would propose its own concept. The majority wants to see an "equitable balance between the public and private sectors in setting tourism policy."
The composition of the authority board in the bill Turnbull vetoed was six private-sector members and three government officials. A revised bill could tilt control to the public sector, or at least create a five-four split.
