Caribbean Times 46th Issue - Thursday 7th July 2016

8 c a r i b b e a n t i m e s . a g
Thursday 7th July 2016
Darshanie Singh selected as Antigua and
Barbuda’s 2016 Junior Minister of Tourism
Darshanie Singh, centre, was named Junior Minister of Tourism while Kennyse Lynch,
right, placed 1st runner up and Javon Armstrong was the 2nd runner up
The Antigua and Barbuda Ministry
of Tourism has named sixteen year old
Antigua Girls High School Student, Darshanie
Singh as Junior Minister of Tourism.
Singh outperformed ten other contenders
from high schools across the
country to be named the 2016 Junior
Minister following the Junior Minister
of Tourism Speech Competition held on
Tuesday 5th July.
Speaking to the students prior to the
competition, Minister of Tourism the
Hon. Asot Michael expressed his satisfaction
with their participation in the Junior
Minister selection process.
“Clearly, as young people I am very
proud of all of you and the interest that
you have placed in our industry. Your
participation in the Tourism Cadet Corp
and this Junior Tourism Speech Competition
tells me two things about you. One,
that you love you country and want to be
a part of the industry that is the life blood
of the nation and two, you have a deep
strength of character.
As Minister of Tourism I am elated
that at such a young age you are not just
saying you are committed to nation building,
but by participating in this event you
have done something tangible. You will
all collectively lift the image of tourism
and the young people in this nation, by
your research, your preparation and effective
delivery.”
In an enthusiastically contested competition,
Singh in a prepared speech,
presented to the Tourism Minister, Permanent
Secretary in the Ministry of
Tourism, Paula Frederick-Hunte, judges,
students and an audience of well-wishers,
the ways in which she would improve the
“Customers Perception of the Tourism
Brand”. In the Mystery Question, segment
she discussed a social media contest,
she would launch in a bid to increase
the destination’s brand awareness.
Upon winning an overwhelmed
Singh said, “Honestly, winning this was
not expected. The preparation was very
intense. It came down to weeks of preparation
where every day I found myself at
the Ministry of Tourism practicing. To
the awesome people I had to work with
from the Ministry of Tourism, thank you!
It was an awesome experience. And it really
shows that hard work pays off, and
that what you want you have to work
for.”
Singh who is a member of the Antigua
and Barbuda Tourism Cadet Corps
said, throughout her time in the cadet
corps, and in preparing for the competition,
she had learnt a great deal about
tourism in Antigua and Barbuda.
Ken-nyse Lynch also of the Antigua
Girls High School, and Javon Armstrong
of the Antigua Grammar School came
up closely behind Singh. Lynch was the
First Runner up in the Junior Minister of
Tourism Competition while Armstrong
was Second Runner Up.
Armstrong tied with Singh in the prepared
speech segment of the competition,
while Jahson Harvey of the Clare Hall
Secondary School was the best presenter
for the mystery topic.
Tourism Education, Training and
Awareness Manager in the Ministry of
Tourism, Petley Knight, says the next
step for Antigua and Barbuda’s new Junior
Minister of Tourism is an audience
with the Minister of Tourism. Singh will
then journey to Barbados to participate in
the Youth Congress to be held during the
Caribbean Tourism Organisation’s State
of the Industry Conference in September.
Judges at the 2016 competition were,
Young Hotelier of the Year Matara Murphy,
National Honours Awardee in the
area of Culture and Community development,
Yolanda Lake-Goodwin, and Online
Coordinator of Marketing within the
Antigua and Barbuda Tourism Authority,
Abena Merchant. The outgoing 2015 Junior
Minister of Tourism is Kia Barnes of
the Antigua State College.