There was a time when the Tourism Board counted as one of the more important statutory boards in Bermuda.While the Minister of Tourism’s decisions were final, the board vetted contracts, was engaged in marketing Bermuda and had real sway.Over time, that became less and less the case and the board at best was a sounding board.Tourism and Business Development Minister Patrice Minors’ appointments to the Tourism Board suggest that may be about to change. With all due respect to past members of recent boards, people like the chairman, Malcolm Butterfield, and above all Marsh chief executive officer Brian Duperreault, do not sit on boards to be ignored or not to make a contribution; they are too busy for that.Indeed, Mrs Minors has selected a very strong board, which suggests that it will have a more substantive role than has been the case in the recent past. Mr Butterfield has a long career in various forms of public service in addition to the expertise he brings from the private sector at KPMG. Jon Crellin, the deputy chairman, has built a strong reputation as a hotelier at the Fairmont Hamilton Princess and will be a strong voice for the hotel industry.The rest of the board brings experience from all the different sectors of the tourism industry, from taxis to airlines to human resources to entertainment.Mr Duperreault’s involvement is a testament both to his commitment to Bermuda and to the Morgan’s Point project he is backing. There is potential for conflict of interest here (as there is with almost all industry appointments) as the deal is not yet complete, but on the whole this is a bold appointment.The most intriguing new member, however, is Tony Brannon. Mr Brannon certainly knows tourism, and especially its entertainment aspect, but he has also been a highly vocal critic of past Ministers and policies; the very definition of the word gadfly.Mrs Minors’ appointment might be seen as a brave and transparent attempt to create as broad a tourism revival effort as possible, and to include as many diverse voices as possible. If so, that is to be praised.The more cynical view would be that Mrs Minors is co-opting a critic, who will have to be more circumspect and accountable for tourism policy if he is on the board. Better, to adapt Lyndon B. Johnson’s phrase, to have him inside the tent than outside it.But it is still risky. If Mr Brannon feels he is not being heard or that the policies being adopted are not to his liking, he is likely to quit and he will then be even more vocal.That’s less likely if the board, as Mrs Minors seems to want it to be, is given a real role in shaping tourism policy and strategies.As part of that, it is to be hoped that tourism’s marketing budget will not be cut in the upcoming Budget. As the western world slowly emerges from recession, it is critical that Bermuda’s name is out there when visitors are deciding where to vacation.This newspaper wants to see genuine prudence in the budget, but cutting marketing now will be self defeating if Bermuda is to grow its way out of the worst recession to hit its shores since the Depression.This board needs to make that case, and if the Government listens, then these appointments will be a success.