The USVI Hotel & Tourism Association’s Education & Training Committee is in its nineteenth year of the Summer Employment Program in collaboration with the USVI Department of Labor and participating senators of the 34th Legislature of the Virgin Islands. The objective of the six-week program is to provide a meaningful learning experience for Virgin Islands high school and college students while stimulating interest in careers in the hospitality and tourism industry. Orientation for the program and business interviews were held June 17, and the first day of work began for students on June 21. Thank you to to participating businesses who assisted with placement of the 22 students in the program. Businesses include: Bolongo Bay Beach Resort, Cinnamon Bay Beach & Campground, Cruz Bay Watersports, Emerald Beach Resort, Lindbergh Bay Hotel & Villas, MLB Creative, Secret Harbour Beach Resort, The Ritz-Carlton, St. Thomas, and Spenceley Office Equipment. We would also like to thank the USVI Department of Labor and participating senators, Senate President Donna Frett-Gregory, Sen. Carla Joseph, Sen. Marvin Blyden and Dwayne Sen. DeGraff. Click here for more photos from the orientation.

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Back by popular demand! Visit St. Thomas, St. John and St. Croix is the best media buy in the USVI by miles. Can you afford NOT to be in it? Visit St. Thomas, St. John and St. Croix is a high-quality, full-color upscale magazine that will be EXCLUSIVELY and prominently displayed in hotel rooms, villas and Airbnbs throughout St. Thomas, St. John and St. Croix. By supporting our partnership with your advertising, you're also supporting USVIHTA!

Sales Close: Aug. 16. Material Due: Aug. 23. Don't miss out on this great benefit of your membership! Inquire today by contacting Luis Sardinas at 305-497-0323 or Lsardinas@northsouthnet.com, Bobbie Bryan at 340-998-7025 or bobbie.visitusvi@gmail.com, or Garry Duell at 786-501-3434 or Gduell@northsouthnet.com. Read more.

Garry Duell and the NSN team thank members for attending the Visit reception on June 21 at Oceana Restaurant & Bistro. "It was a pleasure to see everyone," Duell said. "I hope they all had a nice time meeting new and old friends over scrumptious hors d'oeuvres and cocktails. I felt it was a great celebration in a nice setting." Click here for photos from the gathering.

At a critical time for economies and the ocean, The Nature Conservancy, the Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association and the United Nations Environment Programme joined forces to create, for the first time in the Caribbean, a guide to coral reef restoration designed specifically for the tourism sector. Healthy coral reefs are essential for the Caribbean tourism industry, which drives local economies and supports hundreds of thousands of livelihoods throughout the region. A Guide to Coral Reef Restoration for the Tourism Sector presents coral restoration best practices backed by scientific research, practitioner experience and stakeholder input. It addresses barriers that, up until now, have hindered the Caribbean tourism sector from substantively engaging in efforts to conserve the very marine environments that draw millions of visitors to the region each year. It also reveals key opportunities for the industry during a critical time – when developing sustainable tourism practices not only helps to reverse years of degradation of Caribbean reefs, but also helps tourism-dependent businesses to survive and prosper after the economic fallout of COVID-19. Read more.

We are excited to share that we have rescheduled this exciting fundraiser with Leatherback Brewery in tandem with Tropical Treasure Hunt. The newly rescheduled event Hunt for Sea Walls will be held on July 9 from 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. starting at Brewer’s Bay with a private after party at Leatherback Brewery at 6 p.m. Please click the flyer to expand for all details. All the profits go towards supporting the Sea Walls art project that will be in St. Thomas in November where they will have elite artists around the world come to St. Thomas to create ocean themed murals on walls. These murals have proven to raise awareness of ocean conservation efforts. You can learn more about their cause https://seawalls.org/. Additionally, these murals will increase the beautification efforts of the island. The fundraiser’s goal is to raise over $10,000. The deadline to book is July 1. Book online now. Read more.

Take advantage of the COVID-19 employee retention tax credit before it's too late. Business owners get up to $26,000 per employee with employee retention tax credits. If your business has been impacted by pandemic restrictions, you can qualify! Congress authorized $1.9 trillion in stimulus in 2021 to aid businesses and consumers. This includes a powerful payroll tax credit called the Employee Retention Credit Program (ERC) that can potentially eliminate your business’ payroll tax or generate a cash refund. For most businesses this is one of the largest federal incentives available, providing thousands of dollars per employee. Most importantly, essential and non-essential businesses can claim this credit even if they took part in the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) or other COVID relief. Contact Rodd Goldman at The Strategy Group to get started - 847-204-7548 or r.goldman@strategygroupvi.com.

For more information, contact Omar Andres Haedo directly at omar.a.haedo@elan.insure.