The Government of Montserrat welcomes the appointment of the new Tourism Director Mrs. Ineta Rosetta West-Gerald with effect from February 7, 2022 for a period of two years.
Mrs. West-Gerald holds a Bachelor’s Degree (Honors) in Tourism from the University of Derby, United Kingdom, and a Higher National Diploma in Tourism Management from Loughborough University, UK. Other professional qualifications include Certificate in Marketing from the University in Applied Sciences, Breda, the Netherlands as well a host of other certificates in Project Management, Product Development, Sustainable Tourism for Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and Event Planning.
Mrs. West-Gerald brings with her a wealth of experience spanning 25 years in the tourism field. Twenty of which were through her roles as Marketing Officer and Product Development Officer at the Tourism Division.
She was instrumental in assisting the Tourism Division in its recovery efforts during the volcanic crisis when the island saw tourism arrivals plummeted and again through its transition to its new operations under the Office of the Premier. She was also intimately involved in the Development of the Tourism Master Plan and Policy (2016-2025) and coordinated the development of the current Tourism Strategy (2019-2022).
Mrs. West-Gerald is known synonymously with Montserrat tourism at a number of trade events and worked with both the travel trade and media to strengthen the Montserrat Brand. She is well respected in the tourism sphere and among several regional partners including the Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO), the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States and the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association.
Mrs. West-Gerald now succeeds outgoing Director of Tourism, Mr. Warren Solomon, who was recruited under the Government of Montserrat’s Technical Cooperation (TC) Programme in February 2019.
Mr. Solomon’s achievements included spearheading the launch of the Montserrat Service Ready programme, which certifies members of the transportation and hospitality sectors as having achieved an advanced standard of service delivery training; the formation of a Tourism Stakeholders Advisory Council (TSAC) in November 2020, and he maintained brand visibility for Destination Montserrat throughout the COVID era, among other accomplishments.
The Premier of Montserrat, Joseph E Farrell, and Permanent Secretary in the Office of the Premier, Mrs. Daphne Cassell, take this opportunity to extend appreciation to Mr. Solomon for his strategic leadership of the tourism sector over the past three years and to welcome Mrs. Rosetta West-Gerald at the particular juncture.
