🏛️ Tourism Minister Kenneth Bryan refutes criticisms of tourism policy

Tourism Minister Kenneth Bryan recently defended the United Progressive Movement's (UPM) policy on tourism in parliament, denying any shortcomings. Bryan responded to criticisms from the opposition regarding his handling of the country's second economic pillar, stating that the government and his ministry are striving for a balanced and sustainable industry. He labelled recent comments by Opposition Leader Roy McTaggart as "grossly misleading". Bryan explained that the current plan, originally created by the Progressives-led administration, has been updated to reflect the government's policies to expand markets and gateways, implement the National Beautification Plan, increase events, and expand sports tourism. 🏖️

Bryan further clarified that Chief Officer Stran Bodden's recent comments to the Public Accounts Committee about extending the current plan were taken out of context by McTaggart. Bryan stated that the extension was a robust plan to bridge the ministry to the end of the year, including airport upgrades and several of his ministry's policies. He accused the opposition leader of implying a void in the government's tourism strategy, which he rejected as an attempt to mislead the public and worry the industry. Bryan assured that the ministry and the Department of Tourism were deeply committed to stakeholders in the sector. He also revealed plans for new direct flights from Minneapolis and increased capacity to and from Toronto. ✈️

Despite criticisms, Bryan highlighted the record-breaking accommodation fees collected in the first half of the year, which were 9% above projections, amounting to $25 million. He also noted a steady increase in stay-over arrival numbers, although they were still below pre-pandemic levels. However, Bryan acknowledged a significant decline in cruise passenger arrivals, which have been at their lowest in two decades since ships began to return post-pandemic. He emphasized the government's efforts to optimize the number of overnight guests by focusing on increased airlift and new gateways. 🚢