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ST THOMAS, USVI -- United States President Barack Obama's executive order announcing a suite of initiatives to significantly increase travel and tourism in the United States has been welcomed by the tourism chief of the US Virgin Islands as "not only a major step forward for the world's biggest travel and tourism economy, but it is also an opportunity for our territory to look at how we might harvest the new opportunities arising from the president's bold initiative."

USVI Commissioner of Tourism Beverly Nicholson-Doty added, however, it was important for island territories of the United States to ensure those implementing the president's initiative in Washington DC fully understand the critical importance of tourism to small island economies like the US Virgin Islands.

"Long-haul travelers spend on average US$4,000 on each visit. So, we applaud the president taking much-needed steps to expand the visa waiver program; reduce the time taken to wait for an interview and increase the capacity to process visas in China and Brazil by 40 percent during this year," she commented.

"Our economy needs the economic boost from more tourists. We will look at how we in the USVI can harness the increased visitors from Brazil, China and other beneficiary countries," Commissioner Nicholson-Doty added, explaining she expected the influx in tourists to the United States to benefit the Caribbean as a whole, "especially from long haul destinations."

The commissioner congratulated her neighbour islands colleague Mario González-Lafuente, executive director of the Puerto Rico Tourism Company (PRTC), on his appointment to the US Travel and Tourism Advisory Board, which provides stakeholder feedback on the challenges being faced by the US travel and tourism industry, as well as ideas on how the federal government can strengthen this important sector.

"We look forward to working with Mr González-Lafuente and the PRTC in their representation of all US territories and the Caribbean region," said Nicholson-Doty.

The tourism commissioner reported the USVI long-term tourism development strategy under development for the territory will look at ways of harmonizing its activities with the national strategy announced by Obama.

Noting travel and tourism is a $1.2 trillion sector of the US economy or nearly three percent of gross domestic product, the commissioner reminded, "We in the US Virgin Islands are more dependent on the sector, with travel and tourism accounting for roughly 30 percent of our GDP ...so we will continue pursuing new avenues to strengthen and market our tourism product, and find more ways of getting our messages across to policy and decision makers in Washington."

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