Janet Silvera, Senior Gleaner Writer

WESTERN BUREAU:

THE SUNDAY Gleaner has been reliably informed that three tourism executives have been shortlisted for the position of tourism director, which Basil Smith vacated last Friday.

Smith served in the position for the last two years. He tendered his resignation in July and is tipped to take up a new role as consultant to The Bahamas' Ministry of Tourism as of November.

The three vying for the coveted position are former Sandals Resorts International general manager, Horace Peterkin, and deputy tourism directors Donnie Dawson and Zachary Harding.

Tourism Minister Edmond Bartlett declined to comment when contacted yesterday.

The person in the post has responsibility for the administration of the tourism budget and the marketing of Destination Jamaica, which is achieved through public relations and advertising agencies abroad and the deployment of a sales force in all the country's major markets.

The tourism director is expected to maintain contact with the wholesale and retail sectors of the travel industry and has overall responsibility for the development of appropriate strategies to effectively use resources to increase tourist arrivals in Jamaica.

Backgrounds

Dawson heads the Jamaica Tourist Board sales team in the Americas, while Harding - a newcomer - has responsibility for cruise shipping, attractions and events. Peterkin is a former Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association president, who spent 23 years with the Sandals Resorts group. He resigned from that organisation in September and has since embarked on training tourism workers as head of 'Peterkin Hospitality Services'.

In the interim, former director of the tourism board and current director general in the tourism ministry, Carrole Guntley, is to act in the position of director, informed industry sources told The Sunday Gleaner on the weekend.

janet.silvera@gleanerjm.com