American becomes Bermuda tourism boss
A US national has been appointed to lead the newly-formed Bermuda Tourism Authority which will take over most operations previously managed by the Tourism ministry.
American Bill Hanbury takes up the position of CEO for the BTA from today and will report to the Board of Directors.
A tourism industry veteran for over 25 years, he brings expertise as former CEO of Destination DC and the American Experience Foundation, head of Greater Milwaukee Convention & Visitors Bureau and has served on the boards of the US Travel Association and the Professional Convention Management Association.
Speaking to the media, Mr Hanbury laid out his immediate goals for Bermuda’s tourism industry.
This includes implementing the National Tourism Plan to increase job opportunities, grow tax revenues and aggressively attract new investment in the sector.
The new Tourism Authority came about after the Bermuda government decided to remove all tourism activities away from the political arena.
The new BTA will function as a private sector entity and will be responsible for all tourism related activities except for legal policy and licensing.
There was a fall of 4% in tourist arrivals during the first six months of 2013, impacted by a reduced number of cruise calls during the year, according to the BTA.
TravelMole Editorial Team
Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Qatar Airways offers reduced timetable to over 60 destinations
Hands In, UATP join forces for airline multi-card payments
AirlineRatings reveals world's safest airline rankings for 2026
Vietnam warns airlines of possible flight reductions amid jet fuel shortages
Fliggy opens AI-powered travel bookings and developer tools