Thank you for joining us for our Annual General Meeting on Nov. 5 at Emerald Beach Resort. We were honored to be joined by guest speaker USVI Commissioner of Tourism Joseph Boschulte. In addition to Boschulte's presentation, members heard important association news and updates, and held elections. Click here to view photos from the meeting.

Come celebrate fall and celebrate hope as My Brother’s Workshop launches a matching donor campaign at Root42 on Nov. 12 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Food and drink specials available with live music starting at 7 p.m. Join us for fun and prizes, and help us reach our $10,000 match goal! Click the flyer to expand.

St. Thomas has an exciting new experience to share with your concierges, front desk staff, and guest services staff so they can pass it onto guests! Experience a new spooky nighttime treasure hunt with the Tropical Treasure Hunt! Use our lanterns and other tools to search for buried treasure while encountering the ghosts of piracy past. We have partnered with Virgin Islands Eco Tours to provide your crew kayaks to explore the eerie St. Thomas mangroves to find clues dur ing the adventure. Also take in the scenic sunset while riding the Paradise Point Skyride. Click here for more information about what's included, cost and more. Call 786-296-8800 or email [email protected] to sign up now! Click the flyer for additional details.

As preparations continue for the 2019/2020 Crucian Christmas Festival, the U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Tourism's Division of Festivals is inviting members of the community to submit suggestions for a theme for the 2020 carnival in St. Thomas. Ian Turnbull, Director of the Division of Festivals, reported that a meeting of newly appointed committee chairs for carnival in St. Thomas was held this weekend. Read more .

On Nov. 13-14 Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. will host his first Governor’s Workforce Development Summit, which will be an annual event in the Virgin Islands. The Virgin Islands is in a phase of recovery and rebuilding. In 2017, the territory experienced two Category 5 hurricanes that changed the physical landscape as well as the workforce needs of the territory. Bryan is committed to addressing the workforce deficits and reshaping the Virgin Islands, and he has made workforce development a priority of his administration. Read more .

More from V.I. Government:

Gov. Bryan Signs Executive Order About GVI's Check Verification Policy

Gov. Bryan Signs Proclamation Designating November as Virgin Islands Recycles Month

Veterans Affairs Schedules Parades for Veterans Day

We will be back at the Danish Travel Show in Herning in February 2020 after a very successful Travel Show in Copenhagen in October. We're very pleased to announce that the Department of Tourism will join us for the show, which attracts 60,000 visitors. We would like to see as many of you as possible participate in our booth. Read more .

Join with other territorial small businesses that are participating in the New York Fed's Small Business Survey to share information on the current business climate and firms' financing needs and credit experiences. Click here to take the survey . The survey tracks financing conditions and brings them to the attention of service providers, lenders and policymakers. Individual responses are confidential. The survey closes Nov. 25. Questions? Contact Javier Silva, Associate Director, Community Development Engagement via email at [email protected] or 212-720-2789.

Citing the new tourism offerings in The Bahamas and throughout the Caribbean and the opportunity to showcase the nation of islands to the travel world following Hurricane Dorian, the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) reaffirmed that all systems are go to bring the region's largest and longest-standing tourism marketing event to The Bahamas Jan. 21 to 23, 2020. Read more . Click here to view a recent presentation from CHTA regarding Caribbean Travel Marketplace 2020. The schedule of events for CSHAE, CHTA, and additional meetings prior to marketplace can be found here .

Three respected Caribbean tourism leaders will be recognized for their leadership achievements at the 2019 Caribbean Media Exchange (CMEx) Leadership Awards slated for Dec. 14 in Miami. Muriel Wiltord, Director of The Americas for the Martinique Promotion Bureau; Commissioner of Tourism of the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) Joseph Boschulte; and Frank Comito, Director General and CEO of the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) are among the list of honorees for the year-end fundraiser, which will raise resources for Caribbean education. Read more .

Back to my roots. There's something deeply moving and rejuvenating to go back to where it all started. My professional career began almost 30 years ago in a fine-dining French restaurant called "The Palm Terrace." I started as a busboy, then worked my way up to various roles. However, the job that transformed me, the one that made me feel like I was flying, the one that fully consumed me, was as a restaurant server. Read more .