Almost 18 months into his administration, Gov. Charles Turnbull swore in Rafael Jackson as commissioner of Tourism, the final unfilled Cabinet position in the administration, on Thursday.
Jackson has been acting commissioner since March, when Turnbull sacked his previous nominee, Michael Bornn.
One of Jackson's first undertakings as commissioner will be the department's new official Internet web site. He said after the ceremony that he is meeting with representatives from IBM next week to begin work on it.
The "interactive and friendly" web site will cost $350,000 to $400,000 and be similar to those of the Cayman Islands, Puerto Rico and St. Lucia, Jackson said, adding that the cost is "not unusual for the type of web site we want to do."
"When we hear hoteliers say they’ve done a web site for $20,000 to $25,000, that’s unrealistic for a destination web site," Jackson said.
Turnbull said at the swearing-in ceremony at Government House on St. Croix that "I selected Mr. Jackson without knowing him personally. But all the advice I got and talking with you, I was convinced you could turn the Tourism Department around."
Jackson was born on St. Croix and worked in tourism for more than 20 years before retiring in 1996. He was an assistant director of tourism and, among other positions, served as the sales promotion manager in the New York office, regional sales manager in Chicago, and the assistant director of tourism responsible for sales and marketing.
After he retired from the public sector, Jackson went to work for Prestige Airways as its director of marketing for Florida and the Virgin Islands.
"I guarantee that I will do my very best . . . to make these beautiful islands the premier Caribbean vacation destination," Jackson said, adding that in the short time he’s been in office, airline arrivals and hotel occupancy rates have improved.
Turnbull said that tourism is essential to the territory’s economy and that a healthy industry is needed to help steer through the "financial storm" his administration inherited. He likened the territory’s fiscal problems to a "ship on the high seas in a terrible storm."
"We can’t afford a mutiny," Turnbull said, possibly referring to Bornn’s brief stint. The governor said Jackson’s job wasn’t going to be easy and disagreements were bound to arise.
"Tourism is an essential key to economic revival. I’m looking to you . . . for leadership we know you have," Turnbull said.
Bornn had yet to be confirmed by the Legislature as Tourism commissioner when he was ousted last October. Turnbull withdrew his nomination because of, among other things, Bornn’s public stance against the administration’s $300 million bond issue. At the time, Turnbull said it was because of differences in "operating and management styles." Turnbull said Bornn liked "to go his own way even after repeated admonishments and warnings to do otherwise."
Before Bornn, Turnbull had nominated Clement "Cain" Magras for the Tourism post, but he withdrew the nomination after a department employee brought sexual harassment charges against Magras.