From left to right, DSPR Commissioner Calvert White, Governor Albert Bryan, WNBA Star Aliyah Boston, and Tourism Commissioner Joseph Boschulte. Photo Credit: V.I. DEPT. OF TOURISM
Aliyah Boston is now an official tourism ambassador for the U.S. Virgin Islands.
A press release from the Department of Tourism announced the partnership between the territory's Tourism Department and the St. Thomas native, who is now — during her rookie year on the professional basketball circuit — a WNBA All-Star player.
“Aliyah is a natural treasure,” said Tourism Commissioner Joseph Boschulte, “not just for her current athletic prowess but for her unwavering pride in where she is from.” Referencing Ms. Boston’s famed approach to her work on and off the basketball court, Mr. Boschulte praised the Indiana Fever player for personifying “the values of hard work, dedication, and excellence which are at the core of our longstanding tenacity that uniquely defines the people of the USVI.”
The multi-year partnership, Mr. Boschulte said, “is a first for the Tourism Department as we continue to explore unique and non-traditional methods of marketing for our destination.”
Governor Albert Bryan, Mr. Boschulte and Dept. of Sports, Parks and Recreation Commissioner Calvert White met with Boston and her family in Las Vegas recently, where the ambassador announcement was made. As part of the deal, a new sign featuring Boston is set to be displayed at Cyril E. King Airport, Mr. Bryan announced.
Ms. Boston is a savvy choice of ambassador for the Department of Tourism. An integral member of the University of South Carolina Gamecocks, currently ranked #1 in the nation for college women’s basketball, Aliyah has been racking up awards since her freshman year on the team. She ended her college career with four Lisa Leslie awards, two fistfuls of All-American awards, 3 Naismith Player of the Year awards, and several other Player of the Year awards from other prestigious organizations, among many others. She was also the highly anticipated #1 draft pick by the Indiana Fever when she chose to begin a professional career. As a newly-minted tourism ambassador, some of the attention now on Ms. Boston will certainly be placed on the community from which she hails.
Being chosen as a tourism ambassador for the USVI was an honor, Ms. Boston said. “I couldn’t be happier to be an official ambassador for my hometown. I’m very proud of where I’m from and it’s really special to be able to partner with the tourism board,” she continued. “We can let the world know that the islands are gorgeous, with beautiful and kind people, and filled with a cultural richness that makes them a destination for everyone.”
