Commissioner of Tourism Affairs Roy Marlin says in these challenging times, the national workforce needs to recognize and appreciate the value of the tourism product and provide the best of service they can during the upcoming tourism season.
The Commissioner added that the nation has to recognize the value and importance of the industry on how it impacts the lives of the working class directly and indirectly.
"Tourism is at work is everyone’s neighborhood. The services for example paid for by revenues collected from the tourism industry go to cover such services as garbage disposal, emergency services etc.
"More people today benefit directly through employment and others through collateral benefits from the industry.
"We must appreciate the offerings of the industry and provide the best services that we can provide to our visitors. The current global financial and economic crisis will entail that every island catering to tourism will be working extra hard to maintain the visitor numbers they have and to attract additional visitors.
"The number of persons taking a vacation is expected to drop because many are watching how they spend their money due to the international economic crisis.
"We have to ensure that we give the best service we can in order to remain competitive with other destinations in the region.
"Our visitors should leave the island feeling satisfied and recommending to their friends, families and acquaintances to visit the ‘Friendly Island’ this winter season. We have our job cut out for us and these challenging times require that we as a nation redouble our efforts to keep our economic engine moving forward together," Commissioner of Tourism Affairs Roy Marlin told the Government Information Service (GIS).