BVI among leaders in overnight guests — Premier

The BVI has emerged as a leading Caribbean destination for overnight visitors, with sustained growth across key arrival categories, Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley told lawmakers during the 2026 budget debate.

Addressing the House of Assembly, the Premier said tourism performance through the first three quarters of 2025 showed year-on-year increases when compared with the same period in 2024, including growth in overnight arrivals. He said the figures underscored the territory’s continued recovery and competitiveness within the regional tourism market.

“Some persons may believe that we are not among the leaders in overnight guests. But in the OECS, we are among the leaders in overnight guests,” the Premier said while pointing to St. Martin, St Lucia, Guadeloupe and Martinique as being ahead of the territory.

“Persons paint a misleading picture, as that we are so far behind everyone else when in fact we are ahead of many other countries,” he added.

The Premier pointed out that cruise passengers often seek to return to the BVI as overnight guests. “The cruise is an excellent way to introduce persons to the Virgin Islands. And when they experience the beauty of the Virgin Islands, they often come back as overnight guests,” he said.

Meanwhile, Junior Minister for Tourism Luce Hodge Smith supported the Premier, presenting data that showed overnight arrivals increased by 2.2 percent, while cruise arrivals grew by 6.8 percent and day trippers by 47.7 percent, resulting in an overall rise in visitor arrivals of 6.1 percent. Hodge Smith said the improved performance followed a landmark year in which the BVI surpassed the one-million visitor mark for only the second time in its history.

According to Hodge Smith, growth in overnight tourism was being driven by several factors, including the reopening of hotels, stronger marketing and public relations, improved airlift, high bookings in the yachting sector, and pent-up global demand for travel. She also pointed to ongoing efforts to convert cruise passengers into overnight guests as part of the territory’s broader tourism strategy.

The Junior Minister further noted that international recognition continued to strengthen the BVI’s appeal among travellers. The territory ranked fourth in the Caribbean and Atlantic in Condé Nast Traveller UK’s 2025 Readers’ Choice Awards and second in the US edition of the awards. The BVI was also named among the New York Times’ “52 Places to Go in 2025” and listed as one of the top islands in Travel and Leisure World’s Best Awards.

Hodge Smith said the territory’s brand positioning was further reinforced by the successful securing of trademarks linked to its sailing identity, including “British Virgin Islands, Sailing Capital of the World”. These developments, he said, supported efforts to attract higher-value visitors and extend the length of stay.

Tourism, alongside financial services, remains a central pillar of the Virgin Islands’ economy, the Premier told the House. He said government policy continued to focus on strengthening the tourism product, enhancing visitor experience and ensuring sustainable growth across the sector.