The tourism minister has threatened to dismantle the board of the Bermuda Tourism Authority if it fails to comply with instructions regarding “allegations of serious workplace issues”, which are blamed for substantial staff departures.

In an e-mail dated December 20 and seen by The Royal Gazette, Owen Darrell set out four instructions to the six board members, including the chairman, Wayne Caines, a government MP, that came with a deadline for responses by Monday.

It is understood that Mr Darrell has allowed the board an extension until January 13 to give details, which include the hiring of an independent firm to investigate complaints of bullying, harassment and unprofessional behaviour by “executive personnel” at the BTA.

Additionally, Mr Darrell demanded financial reports into the independent body’s employee payouts and spending.

The e-mail was also addressed to Joseph Best, the deputy chairman along with fellow board members Jennifer Phillips, government MP Kim Swan, Ronald Simmons and Shiona Turini.

Mr Darrell wrote: “Failure to comply with these instructions will result in the revocation of your board appointment.

“The seriousness of this matter warrants the harsh tone of this correspondence.

“To reiterate, the ministry has received numerous complaints regarding workplace bullying, harassment and unprofessional interactions with management at the Bermuda Tourism Authority.

“These issues have not been addressed, leading to more employees leaving.

“Prior correspondence requested an independent review but instead, the board agreed to conduct a ‘culture review’, which appears to be stalled as the ministry has not received any results.

“This is unacceptable and I look forward to your prompt response.”

The instructions were to provide a written report of the expenditure for settlement packages or separation agreements to former employees over the past three years to December 31, 2024.

The board was told to provide a breakdown of all payments made to outside counsel for legal and administrative services, and any other consultancy firms or agencies that provided services to the BTA over the past two years, including descriptions of the services and reason for engagement.

Additionally, there was a request for information on why a full investigation into claims of bullying and harassment, and “other unprofessional behaviour displayed by executive management”, was not carried out when requested in September, three months before the ministry’s e-mail.

It came with a demand for confirmation by Monday of this week that the board had hired an independent firm to investigate.

The minister’s e-mail comes after the resignation last month of Hazel Clark, the BTA’s director of global business development and partnerships, as well as a string of other departures at the authority.

In his e-mail, Mr Darrell wrote that departures added up to “approximately 25 employees over the past two years”, which he called “concerning”.

This week, Dwayne Robinson, a One Bermuda Alliance senator and the party’s spokesman on tourism, described the news of Ms Clark’s departure as “a loss” for the industry.

In a statement, Mr Robinson questioned what was “amiss” at the BTA and asked how many more had to resign before the minister took “his head out of the sand”.

A spokeswoman for the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport said in response to his comments that Mr Darrell had sought clarity from the board regarding the various issues raised and requested a full update.

She added: “A review is under way and the minister is awaiting the results.

“It is important to clarify that the BTA operates as an independent entity, and the responsibility for the day-to-day operations and workplace environment rests with the chief executive and chairman of the board.

“The minister does not oversee these matters directly but relies on the board to ensure appropriate procedures are followed to maintain transparency and accountability. They have a date to report to the minister and we await the report to make necessary and informed decisions.”

Mr Caines said this week that a final report from a third-party organisation was expected on January 17 for board review.

He was responding to queries from the Gazette on what update had been received by the board over concerns about alleged high staff attrition and other personnel issues.

The ministry declined to respond to further questions yesterday.