Zane DeSilva has commended the Bermuda Tourism Authority for being transparent after it disclosed the salaries and compensation packages of its chief staff.

However, the Shadow Minister for Tourism called for further transparency about the packages: the terms and conditions of the bonuses paid to CEO Bill Hanbury, whether the terms and conditions were met last year and whether a bonus payment was issued.

The BTA confirmed yesterday that Mr Hanbury earns $295,000 per year on top of a $75,000 housing allowance. It was also revealed that the BTA’s senior executive team of Pat Phillip-Fairn, Karla Lacey, Victoria Isley and Roland Andy Burrows received annual salaries of between $175,000 and $275,000.

“In the interest of transparency, we [the Progressive Labour Party] commend the BTA for disclosing the compensation packages for CEO Mr Bill Hanbury and the senior executive team,” Mr DeSilva said.

“The Dunkley administration and Tourism Minister Mr Shawn Crockwell approved the compensation, funding and terms of employment. Unfortunately, they refused to release these details for over a year and left it to the BTA to do the right thing.

“Just this week, the OBA bashed civil servants for standing up for their rights in one breath, while signing off on huge compensation packages with another.

“The optics do not match and the OBA can’t have it both ways. The OBA’s actions are once again contradictory and only serves to increase the public’s distrust of them.”

Mr Hanbury’s salary was not made public when he was appointed in January 2014, which prompted Opposition criticism from MP Wayne Furbert. He said at the time: “Not only salary, does he get free housing? Does he get travel? Is it first class, business or economy? Does he get a phone? Does he get a car? I do not know. But the board should have a responsibility to tell me.”

Mr Hanbury branded the clamour around his salary as a “huge distraction” from the job that he had to do at the BTA.

BTA Director of Public and Stakeholder Relations Glenn Jones responded: “I think it’s fair to say the Tourism Authority is an unequal among its peers for its commitment to transparency. That trend will continue. At this stage, however, the BTA has released everything on compensation that is appropriate to release.”