A former government MP has resigned as chairman of the board of the Bermuda Tourism Authority.

Wayne Caines’s resignation was confirmed by the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport, which thanked the former Progressive Labour Party MP for his service.

When asked tonight on when he notified the Government that he was resigning from the post, Mr Caines said: “The minister has the resignation and I have no further comment on the matter.”

His resignation came amid a tumultuous period at the BTA, which faced “allegations of serious workplace issues” and are blamed for substantial staff departures — approximately 25 employees in two years — during his tenure.

The Government’s statement said the former Minister of National Security, who is also the president of Belco, was appointed chair of the BTA during the pandemic.

It said he took on his role “during one of the most challenging periods in Bermuda’s tourism history”.

It added: “Under his leadership, the BTA navigated the uncertainties of border closures, shifting travel restrictions, and the long road to recovery.”

In recent months, the board and leadership of the quango had been under fire, and in December, Owen Darrell, the tourism minister, threatened to dismantle the six-member body over a host of workplace issues.

Mr Darrell, in an e-mail dated December 20 and seen by The Royal Gazette, set out instructions for the BTA, and it came with a deadline for responses.

Mr Darrell 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.

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.

The instructions included 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 minister’s e-mail.

Mr Darrell’s e-mail to the board came after the resignation in December 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 the departures were “concerning”.

In response 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, Mr Caines said a final report from a third-party organisation was expected on January 17 for board review.

Last month, the BTA said a draft report examining the working environment at the organisation is confidential and the organisation offered no response on whether the report would eventually be made public.

In October 2023, Mr Caines’s role as chair of the BTA was renewed by the Government for another three years.

Three years earlier, in July 2020, Mr Caines and Zane DeSilva, the former tourism minister, were forced to resign from their Cabinet posts after they were caught on camera breaching Covid-19 regulations at a dinner at a Warwick restaurant.

The two officials left the Cabinet after they accepted an “invitation to resign” from David Burt, the Premier.

In September 2018, Mr Caines apologised for an incident after he posted a video where he asked a young woman server in a London restaurant for “titty milk”.

Mr Caines, who was in London on government business, told The Royal Gazette he was “deeply disappointed” in himself.