USVIHTA Update | March 2020
Greetings Members

Thank you for your contributions to our new What's Going on Wednesday member promotional email! Don't forget to send promotions, newsletters, events, and more to kaufmann.laurel@gmail.com for inclusion in these emails!
Save the Date for the USVIHTA Annual General Meeting
Join USVIHTA for a continental breakfast at our Annual General Meeting on April 7 from 8:30 to 10 a.m. at The Ritz-Carlton, St. Thomas. U.S. Virgin Islands Gov. Albert Bryan will join as guest speaker. RSVP with Lisa Hamilton at lisa@usvihta.com .
USVI Culinary Team Seeking Bartender! Application Deadline March 6 - Competition March 13
We're seeking a talented and creative bartender to join the award winning USVI Culinary Team. Team members will meet regularly to hone their skills before representing the U.S. Virgin Islands at the Taste of the Caribbean this summer. The team also participates in local and association events throughout the year. Applicants must be 21 or older, good public speakers, able to attend monthly practices March through May and weekly practices in June, and attend the Taste of the Caribbean in Miami, Florida June 26-30.

The deadline to apply for the bartender position is March 6. Bartender applicants will participate in a bartender competition at Old Stone Farmhouse on March 13 to determine the team bartender. Click here to download the bartender application and here to download the bartender competition guidelines . Email Lisa Hamilton at lisa@usvihta.com for more information.

And we hope members will join us for the bartender competition on March 13 at Old Stone Farmhouse! $10 entry fee to include appetizers and cash bar.

New Member Spotlight: IslandBuddy Jeep Tours
IslandBuddy operates jeep tours on St. Thomas and St. John. On both islands the tours are private and custom. A day with IslandBuddy includes a large lap of the island stopping at scenic overlooks, remote beaches, off road trails and select bays for snorkeling in the reef and with sea turtles. On board the jeeps is a cooler with ice and bottled water, rum punch, beach chairs and snorkel gear. The trip can start at any time with pick up and drop at any hotel, villa or cruise ship dock. Our full day private tour is $350 per vehicle for the day and can fit up to four people. The duration is typically about five to seven hours. All trips are led by our own guide/ driver so that the guests do not have to worry about driving or finding out how to get to the places we want them to see. Read more .
USVIHTA Supported Active Shooter Training a Success
Thank you to those members who joined us for active shooter training hosted by the Virgin Islands Territorial Emergency Management Agency on March 3 at Charlotte Amalie High School. USVIHTA partners with various agencies and affiliates to make these valuable training opportunities available to our members. We would like to thank our liaison at VITEMA, Irvin Mason, who assisted with the training.

“I really enjoyed the training and was skeptical going in that it would be a practical exercise, but by the end of it, I was thoroughly impressed. It mostly gets the gears turning to update and implement this into Coral World's emergency action plan which mostly deals with natural disaster threats at the moment,” noted Matt Tartaglio, attending for Coral World Ocean Park. “The class was also a great way to network and meet and work together with new people, and fun with the live action drills.”
COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Caribbean Tourism Resources
The Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association is working with the Caribbean Public Health Agency, the Caribbean Tourism Organization, the Global Tourism Resilience and Crisis Management Center and others on a number of fronts to mitigate the impact of Covid-19. Click here to read about efforts to date and pending plans.

More on COVID-19:
Is Your Business Ready for the Toxic Sunscreen Ban?
Be prepared for the upcoming toxic sunscreen ban which will take effect April 1, 2020. Act 8185, supported by the hotel and tourism association, amends Virgin Islands code by adding a section banning the retail sale or offer for sale, and the distribution or importation for retail purposes, of topical sunscreen products containing oxybenzone and octinoxate. Click here to read the full legislation and please take steps to be ready on April 1.
Government House on the Air
As part of Gov. Albert Bryan Jr.’s commitment to open government and transparency, here is a list of upcoming radio appearances by Bryan, Lt. Gov. Tregenza Roach and Bryan/Roach Administration Cabinet members. Bryan encourages residents in the community to tune in and call in with questions, ideas and comments. Read more .

More from VI Government:
Tourism Industry Prepares for Uncertain Times
In the midst of an unprecedented decade of Caribbean tourism growth when hoteliers, tourism-related businesses and destinations successfully tackled a number of challenges, industry stakeholders are gearing up to address anticipated new challenges and share active solutions to help steer a course through uncharted waters. Drawing upon the theme "Riding the Wave - Smart Actions in Uncertain Times," challenges and solutions will be front and center at the Caribbean Hospitality Industry Exchange Forum (CHIEF), the Caribbean region's annual networking, education and best practice sharing event for hospitality and tourism business stakeholders. Read more . 
Bryan Williams’ Tip: Lessons Learned as a Cafeteria Manager
One of my hotel jobs was as the Employee Dining Room (EDR) Manager. Basically, I was in charge of the cafeteria. Initially, I didn't want that job because a big chunk of my career up to that point was spent in fine dining. I was classically trained in the honor and artistry of service by professionals from France, England, Italy and Spain. I foolishly thought that I was "beyond" working in the cafeteria. Read more .
Save the Date
Click here to view upcoming events. And don't forget to share your special events with members today by emailing kaufmann.laurel@gmail.com .