Director of Tourism for Jamaica, Paul Pennicook, has announced the appointment of David L. Shields as deputy director of tourism, marketing, for the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB), effective immediately. 
This newly created position carries responsibility for marketing Jamaica’s tourism product at a global level, and the appointment marks the completion of a major phase in the JTB’s operational re-structuring, initiated in October 2003. 

Enthusiastic about the appointment, Director Pennicook noted: “David
Shields brings exactly the right experience and expertise to this new
position. His outstanding track record in marketing and planning for
major Caribbean organisations makes him a natural choice for the Jamaica Tourist Board, and I am confident he will achieve great results in this key management role.”

In a previous position as director of market development with Air Jamaica Vacations, based in Florida, Shields designed powerful communications plans and initiated the analysis of demographic and psychographic profiles of consumers in major U.S.-Caribbean gateways. Earlier, as assistant director of tourism with responsibility for marketing and promotions with the Cayman Islands Department of Tourism, he managed the planning and execution of all activities relating to marketing and promoting that destination’s tourism product at both local and international levels.

David Shields was the winner of Travel Agent Magazine’s “Rising Star in Tourism - Destinations” award in 1998/99, which honoured his contribution to the development of tourism in the Cayman Islands.  He has worked as a senior marketing consultant to several Caribbean-based hospitality organisations, and has in-depth experience in creating international marketing communications programs.With a Bachelor of Science (Hons.) degree in management studies and a Master of Science degree in accounting from the University of the West Indies, Shields also holds a diploma in restaurant management from the Colonel Saunders Technical Institute in Kentucky, and another in travel and tourism marketing awarded by Henry Stewart Conference Studies in London.  He completed a course in planning, creating and managing Web sites at the University of Toronto, and subsequently took advanced courses in Web development and Web databases at the Global Knowledge Training Center in Santa Clara, CA.

The appointment of David L. Shields underscores JTB’s focus on streamlining its marketing efforts on a worldwide basis, and his management role will be strategic to enhancing the productivity of the global marketing operation.
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