On Tuesday, a multi-year partnership with WNBA All-Star Aliyah Boston and the U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Tourism was announced. As part of the deal, Boston will serve as an official tourism ambassador for the U.S. territory, which includes the islands of St. Thomas, St. John, and St. Croix, according to the press release.
As a native of St. Thomas, Boston’s partnership with the Department of Tourism aims to promote the destination through local and national campaigns, the press release stated.
“The U.S. Virgin Islands mean so much to me and my family and I couldn’t be happier to be an official ambassador for my hometown,” Boston said. “I’m very proud of where I’m from and it’s really special to be able to partner with the tourism board so that we can let the world know that the islands are gorgeous, with beautiful and kind people, and filled with a cultural richness that make them a destination for everyone.”
Since being selected by the Indiana Fever with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 WNBA draft, Boston’s exceptional talent and skill have garnered well-deserved recognition. In each of the first two months of the season, she has earned Rookie of the Month honors, and she became the first rookie to be selected to start in the WNBA All-Star game since 2014, the release stated.
“Aliyah is a national treasure, not just for her current athletic prowess, but for her unwavering pride in where she is from. We are proud to be partnering with Aliyah as she personifies 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,” said Joseph Boschulte, Commissioner of the USVI Department of Tourism. “This multi-year agreement marks a first for the tourism department as we continue to explore unique and non-traditional methods of marketing for our destination.”
In college, Boston was a power forward and center player for the number one nationally ranked University of South Carolina Gamecocks and received numerous accolades both on the court as the consensus Freshman of the Year in 2020 and the team’s leading scorer and in the classroom with awards like being named the Academic All-American of the Year for Division-I women’s basketball in 2021. During the 2021-2022 season, Boston was awarded the prestigious Naismith College Player of the Year Award, the John R. Wooden Award, the Wade Trophy, and named Associated Press Women’s College Basketball Player of the Year following a National Championship win. Boston was named SEC Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year for two consecutive years, 2022 and 2023, according to the release.
The USVI Department of Tourism, led by Gov. Albert Bryan Jr., Commissioner Boschulte, and Commissioner of Sport & Recreation Calvert White, celebrated Aliyah’s first WNBA All-Star Weekend in Las Vegas with a private event to spotlight her continued achievements and new ambassadorship with the territory, it said.
