US Virgin Islands Hotel & Tourism Association
Membership Committee: USVIHTA strives to provide valuable benefits to our members. We have reached out to Health Care International to inquire about individual health insurance coverage. Click the links to view sample rate information for ages 21-25, 41-45 and 61-65. If you choose to sign up, you will receive an additional 25 percent off the listed price (based on age). For more information, please visit HCI’s website or click here to review frequently asked questions.
Environmental Committee: USVIHTA President Lisa Hamilton was asked to participate in the Governor’s Recycling Task Force. Gov. Kenneth Mapp has submitted two bills to the Legislature for the separation of aluminum cans and composting mandates, following in the footsteps of St. John residents. The committee strives to enable the public and private sectors to work together to facilitate the logistics.
The task force consists of a group of volunteers including business managers, community activists, government employees and more. The group’s objective is to see how we can turn the territory into an eco-friendly, green tourism destination for our visitors, and how we can start recycling and practicing sustainability for our residents.
Task force volunteer Harith Wickrema, Chairman of the Virgin Islands Waste Management Authority Board of Directors and President of Island Green Living Association, noted, “Recycling will create jobs and help the economy, and more tourists will come when they know it’s an eco-destination. It can be a little bit costly, but it doesn’t have to be costly. You save money sometimes by going green.”
Wickrema said the most important thing we can do is to get everyone engaged as a community. The task force will aim to achieve this and support environmental sustainability initiatives throughout the territory.
Advocacy Committee: The sin tax and timeshare tax were passed by Gov. Kenneth Mapp in late March. The governor vetoed the amendment that removed him from the Economic Development Commission program. USVIHTA advocated heavily for this during the negotiation process that included the Chamber of Commerce. We are currently working with the 32nd Legislature to override this veto. The Committee of the Whole will meet in the next few weeks for further review. We encourage our members to reach out to senators and show their support for the veto override. Please click here to download the 32nd Legislature contact list.