The head of the new Bermuda Tourism Authority revealed yesterday there had been a “high level of high-quality interest” in the recently advertised post of chief executive officer.David Dodwell, the authority’s chairman designate, would not reveal the salary for the position, other than to say it would be “market driven”. He said those interested in applying had until October 15 to do so.The CEO position is the only one so far advertised for the authority, which will officially come into being on a date yet to be decided.At that point, the authority will replace the Bermuda Department of Tourism (BDOT) — and Department staff will have to apply for positions within the new organisation. Those who are unsuccessful will be offered other civil service roles.Mr Dodwell issued a press release yesterday praising the successful passage of the Tourism Authority Act through Parliament and noting the “long road ahead” for him and his team.“The Bermuda Tourism Authority team all appreciate the work that has gone into passing the authority bill through both Houses of Parliament,” he said.“We now await assent by HE the Governor and the Minister posting the date the authority goes live in the official Gazette.”Mr Dodwell told The Royal Gazette: “We have started working through a transition plan. What we are working towards now is what the date [for going live] is likely to be. It will take up until the end of March next year to be finalised. By the end of March, we will have made all of the decisions.”The hotelier, whose role is voluntary, said the Department’s budget would continue until the end of the financial year, as would the budget of the Bermuda Tourism Board, which will also cease to exist.He said much work had already gone into forming the authority but it was “going to take us some time” to finalise the structure, define new positions and conduct interviews.“As we work through this process, the team at the BDOT will continue to undertake their normal work and any enquiries you may have in regards to Tourism should be addressed, as normal, to the Department of Tourism,” he said. “The team there will be able to steer enquires through to the authority as we evolve.“We are aware that there may be those who have received sponsorship of events and/or activities from the Department of Tourism in the past. While the process for consideration will be changing in the future, any and all applications should, at this stage, be made in the normal manner.”The former politician pledged to issue further statements in the near future, adding: “We remain committed to being as open and as forthright as we can be. Clearly, there has to be change. We have been clear on that already and we will be explaining that change in the coming weeks.“All of us are now part of Bermuda’s tourism team. Everyone needs to represent Bermuda as best they can as they interact in any way with our visitors.“Many long hours have been invested in creating the Bermuda Tourism Authority but the investment of time and effort really only now begins.“We have a long road ahead of us — some might say a steep hill to climb — but we are determined to make that climb. We are focused on bringing tourism back, on bringing new jobs for Bermudians, new revenues for Bermuda and new opportunity for all. We need now to join together to be part of the solution.”The creation of the authority will mean a less hands-on role for Tourism Minister Shawn Crockwell and Mr Dodwell praised the MP for being “bold and courageous” in pushing through the legislation.He said the idea was to have professionals running the authority and a Minister as a “champion for tourism in this country”.“He’s doing himself out of the current job and taking much more of an oversight role,” said Mr Dodwell. “He’ll continue to be the Minister and we need a Tourism Minister for oversight. He will be a support to me and I will be a support to him.”