Former St. George?s mayor E. Michael Jones says he is looking forward to the challenges ahead as the newly appointed chairman of the Tourism Board.

In a reshuffle within the Tourism Ministry he has been given the lead role on the board, of which he has been a member 12 years in various spells, while former chairman Andre Curtis has decided to put all his energy and focus into leading the newly established Faith-Based Tourism initiative.

Stepping into the chairmanship appears a natural progression for Mr. Jones, who has a lengthy background working in tourism and tourism-related areas.

He also runs Cafe Latte in St. George?s, a popular destination for tourists in the town and a place where, he says, he learns first-hand about what visitors enjoy about the Island and what other things they might like to see in Bermuda.

It is that type of feedback Mr. Jones intends to bring to the fore as he and others on the board ?think outside the box? to improve the Island?s tourism prospects.

Mr. Jones was asked by Premier Ewart Brown, who holds direct responsibility for the Tourism Ministry, if he was available and willing to chair the tourism board, and he accepted the position.

His background in tourism includes working in the Bermuda Department of Tourism offices in Toronto and Boston, working in the hotel, taxi and airline industries, serving on the tourism board for a total of 12 years, and as St. George?s town crier and former mayor.

?There is a lot going on in tourism at the moment. It is up to the momentum of the team to go forward with cohesive ideas. Some of those ideas will involve thinking ?outside the box? because we have been living ?in the box? too long,? he said. Mr. Jones expects to see some fresh faces at the tourism board, and added: ?We will bring to the Minister?s attention new ideas and offer support on issues that come from the tourism staff as well as feedback from the public.

?Our Premier is a busy person. I hope he has found in me a person who is looking at similar ideas and opportunities. I?m very thankful for the opportunity to serve and keep the Island?s interests at heart. I?m looking forward to the challenge of leading tourism further on its upward spiral.?

Mr. Jones replaces Andre Curtis, who has decided to no longer juggle his twin roles of chairman of both the Tourism Board and Faith-Based Tourism.

Mr. Curtis said: ?I chose to do the faith-based tourism rather than the other one. Trying to do both was too much. Faith-based tourism has been going extremely well and last year we had ten faith-based events that brought 2,000 Christian tourists to Bermuda. We aim to attract even more this year.?