The top debater and new 2016-17 Tourism Ambassador is Ms. Monina Thompson from John Gray High School. As part of her prize package, she won $1000. The Tourism Speak Off– a programme that encourages tourism awareness among high school students from a local and international perspective—was hosted by the Ministry and Department of Tourism and the Cayman Islands Tourism Association on 29 November.

The Tourism Speak Off competition has been a part of the Department of Tourism’s local tourism awareness programme since 2003. In addition to promoting tourism awareness, the programme’s objective is to assist young students to develop useful communication, reasoning and public speaking skills that will serve them throughout their lives.

All the competitors, including the other three students – Amanda Ferguson and Gabriella Ritch from Layman Scott High School and Theola Williams from Clifton Hunter High – addressed a variety of topics including the areas like branding, creating flow events. During the 2016-2017 period, Monina as the new Tourism Ambassador, will have the opportunity to participate in Department of Tourism and tourism industry events and also in the CTO’s Tourism Youth Congress to be held in Grenada in 2017 where she will be competing against other Tourism Ambassadors or Junior Tourism Ministers from across the Caribbean.

IMAGE: (L-R) Councilor in Tourism Ministry Mr. Joseph Hew and New Tourism Ambassador Monina Thompson