Daily News Photo by SEAN McCOY Krythemer Edmead, left, Kimberly Brin, Nyasia Santiago, Beverly Nicholson-Doty, Emma Smith, Louis Robles, Connor Masburn, Ivanna Mills.

ST. THOMAS - Seven young Virgin Islanders presented unique methods to sustain and improve the tourism product of the territory during the Junior Tourism Commissioner Competition 2009 on Saturday morning at the Legislature building on St. Thomas.

After three rounds, in which the students spoke on topics such as the sensitive economy and its impact on tourism in the Caribbean and sustainable tourism, Charlotte Amalie High School senior Krythemer Edmead was named the winner and 2009 Junior Tourism Commissioner.

As the junior tourism commissioner, Edmead will travel with the Tourism team to events like the annual USVI Hotel and Tourism Association Destination Symposium and annual Tommy Star awards event.

Edmead articulated the importance of customer service in providing visitors with a positive experience.

"A warm smile to add to our tropical breezes can go a long way," she said.

Edmead said training must begin at a young age to teach Virgin Islanders the importance of customer service and how to provide it.

She also said that the diversity of visitors also needs to be addressed in education.

"We need to be educated and aware of the different customs and beliefs of the people around us," she said.

Edmead, 16, said she will continue to be an ambassador to tourism.

"The youth have a great outlook," Edmead said. "We have new ideas and a good feel for what's needed in our islands."

The other competitors in the event - Kimberly Brin of All Saints Cathedral School, Connor Masburn of AZ Academy, Ivanna Mills of St. Croix Central High School, Louis Robles of Ivanna Eudora Kean High School, Nyasia Santiago of Good Hope School and Emma Smith of St. Croix Country Day School - provided myriad ideas to improve the experiences of tourists visiting the Virgin Islands, elicit positive word-of-mouth advertising and encourage return visits.

"We need to interact less like customers and business agents and more like people making new friends," Smith said in the final round of the competition.

Other ideas raised by students included more youth forums, broadening the tourism industry, teaching customer service at a young age and integrating cultural training into the education curriculum.

Tourism Commissioner Beverly Nicholson-Doty said that she was pleased with the students performance.

"It was clear that they have done their research and planning," Nicholson-Doty said. "They provided some wonderful insights to make our product better."

The Inter-School Junior Tourism Commissioner Competition was developed by the Caribbean Tourism Organization - of which the V.I. Tourism Department is a member.