‘Cruise line prefers to go to Antarctica than service BVI’,
At least one cruise line said it prefers to travel to the frigid south pole on the other side of the globe than to make calls to the British Virgin Islands.
Premier and Minister for Tourism Andrew Fahie claimed the cruise line — whose name he did not specify — expressed this to the BVI delegation that attended the recent Sea Trade conference in Miami, USA.
Fahie said the cruise line had such strong sentiments because of the previous NDP administration.
“Based on our meetings with the cruise lines, they were dissatisfied with the previous communications with the BVI and how their relationship was being handled. Some cruise lines were so fed-up with the then government that they redirected their ships to other destinations,” Fahie said while delivering a statement at the House of Assembly on Monday.
“At Sea Trade 2019, one cruise line even advised my delegation and myself that they told members of the previous administration that they would rather send their ships to Antarctica than to send them to the BVI.”
He continued: “We can hold no malice against an operator who says such a thing because if it were you or I and someone made us feel unwelcomed and not valued then why would we want to come?”
The Premier said he impressed on them that the VIP government is serious about cruise tourism and values their partnership.
Inherited poor state of cruise tourism
In the meantime, Fahie said his administration inherited a poorly maintained cruise sector when they took over the reins late February.
“It pains my heart to report some of the facts that I am about to disclose to this honourable House. I take no pleasure in what I am about to say because I do not understand how persons can profess to love these blessed BVI and then conduct the business of the people of the territory with such neglect and contempt,” he remarked.
According to Fahie, initial reviews indicated that once the berthing agreements for the cruise lines were executed by the BVI Port Authority (BVIPA), they were “poorly managed and no measures were put in place to monitor the key deliverables and performance elements embedded in the agreements”.
He said the management of the BVIPA should be held accountable but steps are being taken to correct the issue first.
Fahie said his government plans to increase the investment in the tourism product to enhance guest experience and expand the country’s reach among others.
Copyright 2024 BVI News, Media Expressions Limited. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or distributed.
stop blame NDP. BC VIP Currently have the country under alot of hates and enemy gaining..soon from now it will be wars..
Go siddung. Yoy all does just miss the real issue of stuff. Stuups
Wars for what? if you don’t want to be here, get out. Wars because things gone south.
Where is the whistleblower law when we need it?
God job getting to the bottom of this. That being said we seriously need to clean up the place and and get the smell under control.
Here is one suggestion….. Instead of trying to create beaches how about turning salt Island into a destination….build roads to the salt ponds have a main building with restaurants with a local theme. Create a hiking, jogging and lookout around the entire Island. Create a habitat where birds and other creatures can thrive….KEEP IT LOCAL!! I got the first 10,000 investment.
Good suggestion. There are lots of decedents with claims to Salt Island, why don’t they get together and develop this splendid idea
Wasn’t the land on Salt Island given to the families by Queen? Isn’t this land now to be subdivided among these family members finally?
I don’t believe a word of this
Of you don’t. Not surprise ?
What Andrew Fahie Said Here Is True.
Mark Vanterpool Lied To Executives after the storms of the true conditions on the ground in the BVI.
This is why they made several trips to confirm for themselves.
While the response to Financial Services was immediate, it was criminal negligence in regards to other sectors of the British Virgin Islands economy
the traction and productivity gained by pointing matters relative to a past administration is nill and counter productive.
All administrations do make errors.This one will to.
The business of the state should be executed with the aim of gaining the best for country.
What a previous administration did or did not do now seems irrelevant in the broarder political spectrum.
Move on with the people’s business.
some people just love blowing there own trumpet what I cannot understand is the mps is out of office and every day everything the present government focus on is ndp come on as if u all ….. swear in mark he won fear n square you encouraging wrong
I agree with you. All I have heard every time the Honourable Premier open his mouth is the blame. You cannot go forward looking in the rear view mirror. But yes he wants us to look back so that while we focused on what NDP did or did not do, Willock could act like a v**++++++e jac**** in the house and he can pass the half baked immigration amendment law he pushing down our throats. Awyo better wake up!
The bottom line is as follows: If you really want tourism, you must make visitors FEEL welcome and give them something interesting to do, in a clean atmosphere, even if it is a little “over the top”. It isn’t just enough anymore just to “be open” for business. Visitors should want to come back year after year and bring their friends with them.
We used to bring tourist groups down every 6 months and generate $40,000 each week we were there. We did it for almost 10 years. Now between the lack of recovery (every other Caribbean island is WAY AHEAD of BVI) and lack of feeling welcomed, we don’t bring anybody to BVI. As stated above, “being open” isn’t good enough to compete with other destinations. When your group get hassled at customs and when you wait in line for over an hour, our groups COMPLAIN and we take them elsewhere. I also plan a lot of destination events for companies and weddings for individuals: the BVI is outspoken against the LGBTQ community and people choose to go elsewhere as a result. Companies literally can’t bring their teams here because they know some of their employees are being discriminated against and it opens them up to litigation. It doesn’t matter what you believe personally, it’s HOW YOU’RE PERCEIVED IN PUBLIC BY THE TOURISM SECTOR.
Act like you’re welcoming and people feel welcomed- Act the opposite, receive the opposite as you can plainly see. Tourists have hundreds of other options and will gladly take their dollars elsewhere if it’s easier, or more enjoyable. Right now it’s far from easy, and pretty far from enjoyable.
BVI needs to get over itself.
Perhaps lower the entrance fees. I’ve been a frequent visitor to the BVI, but last time I was there I stayed in USVI and for my next vacations I’m trying other islands. It’s absurd to have to pay hundreds of dollars to bring a family in for a few days.
Interesting, and I am disappointed that you no longer see it fit to come to the BVI, but guess what, I have waited in lines for over an hour in the U.S.A too and you cannot say a word to the immigrations. They are unfriendly and act like soldiers in battle. Your experience in the BVI is a kiss to what some experience in the U.S.A. It is always easy to ignore your issues at home while pointing at others.
I agree with you. All I have heard every time the Honourable Premier open his mouth is the blame. You cannot go forward looking in the rear view mirror. But yes he wants us to look back so that while we focused on what NDP did or did not do, Willock could act like a vin*****+e jacka** in the house and he can pass the half baked immigration amendment law he pushing down our throats. Awyo better wake up!
Thank you for what you have done in the past. However, we do not have to condone gay marriages to be welcoming. There is ongoing public service reform to improve that the visitor experience to the BVI through immigration and customs. That said i go to USA frequently enough to know that the immigration and custom in their ports of entry is downright hostile. Yet i do not see such comments in the media! Is it because we are a small territory that we should embrace everything dished to us in the name of raising revenue? Understand… push us down on one side but we will rise because God will never let us go under!
The difference is, you want to go to the US, they don’t need you or your dollars there, and they can afford to be rude. You on the other hand need the cruise ship tourists and any tourists, so you cannot be rude just for the heck of it. Don’t compare yourself to the US
The emerging new attitude against outsiders has now carried over to the tourism product . People sensr a difference and some O have spoken to will not be back . Careful what you wish for or we will be stuck in this half recovery mode forever . Clean up the country and clean up the attitude .
EXACTLY!!!!
Now that this anti-expat attitude is so public lots of tourists simply don’t want to spend money where they’re disrespected. So they stay on the cruise ship or never bother to even visit BVI. The people from the States don’t even need a passport for USVI or PR and those places welcome them with smiles and open arms. BVI welcomes tourists with a BAD ATTITUDE at customs and lots of suspicious comments throughout their stay. Or treat them like cattle and heard them to the pier park or CGB.
But go on, kick out the expats that invested in the BVI for almost 20 years and give their jobs to “qualified locals” so the last of tourists can be offended and run off as well. It’s like the BVI Government can’t screw themselves up fast enough. Doesn’t matter what party, they react instead of plan in advance. SMH.
They should goto where the wonderful expats home countries and take the ungrateful parasitic expats with them. There is a reason why both these tourists and the expats come here and not go there.
Dnt get it twisted d reason expats are really here d US dollar nuthing else remove dat and dis country is nutin u people fail to realize dat most of these expat dat are here check the islands dat day are frm mosy it not all are way more develop tourism is way better of d support is above 90% its not dat day r seeing trouble or day dnt like way day come frm no its about d USDollars for example every year expats spend day last dollar or save every dime to go back to their country to suport day own festival u hear how d country having some thing and day live yet day dnt show dat same suport here wit no bvi events now ask urself y?
The place is in self destruct, with the expat hatred.
Expats will soon all be gone, so you ‘belongers’ can enjoy having it all to yourselves.
In real life, the average tourist do not give a flying fish if we were to slaughter each other in the streets tmorrow.
In fact, most would not even be moved, while many will be quite pleased.
So carry on village destroyer.
Meanwhile, thank God many who will eat bread and live good here for years to come can only spew their malevolence in social media, but cannot act out their true beings in real life.
God bless these Virgin Islands and people!!
Thank you for what you have done in the past. However, we do not have to condone gay marriages to be welcoming. There is ongoing public service reform to improve that the visitor experience to the BVI through immigration and customs. That said i go to USA frequently enough to know that the immigration and custom in their ports of entry is downright hostile. Yet i do not see such comments in the media! Is it because we are a small territory that we should embrace everything dished to us in the name of raising revenue? Understand… push us down on one side but we will rise because God will never let us go under!
I dont understand what anti expat attitude you are talking about. Can we go to your homeland and get all that you are expecting/demanding of the BVI? NO!
The fat of any land belongs to its nationals. We are not saying dont give to the deserving! We are saying this is not a matter that should or rushed. The old people say when yuh rush the paint goin get darbed. Who will have to deal with the fallout from any poorly thought through legislation? Genuine BVIslanders! If things go awry most of you will pack your bags, go home or elsewhere but we will have to deal with it. So sorry if your small brain views it as anti expats, that is your problem not ours. You know full well that you have gotten far more in the BVI than we will every get in your homeland!
We should only let tourists in who can show that both sets of great grand parents were born in the BVI….
Don’t let this distract you from the fact that the 4th district don’t have a representative.
But you hired the dude that was at the helm of the ports as a private consultant?????????????????????????????
@Hmmmmm how dare you state the obvious and in plain sight facts. It makes the people of BVI look stupid and uneducated .
But who was the Port director when the berthing agreements were in effect? lol
I said this would happen but,no one took it serious. There is simply nothing for the tourist to do in the BVI. Not everyone visit the BVI for the beach. I have yet to see ADS promoting the BVI in the USA. I see ADS promoting other Carribean Islands but nothing for the BVI.
They dont have the time to promote their own country instead they use the time to bring down other Caribbean islands an their ppl then when stuff like this happens they turn an blame (down island ppl) expats for it…where their focus needs to be they let that slide.
Y’all come for me now with y’all ignorance
Really! Where in the USA are you. There are 50 states and the BVI Tourist board has a presence in many states.
best reason to get raid of the so call pastor who was the boss at the port at that time././.
Most tourists read your news… the crime/killings, smoke from Pockwood, the feelings toward expats… don’t you think the cruise line reads it too? The BVI is falling apart.
Isn’t the belongers status only 30%?
Wake up before everyone leaves!
If I were to name the 10 most influential faces of BVI tourism that the tourists come back to see, they aren’t belongers.
If this were happening anywhere else in the world, there would be marches and belongers would be called a small group of racists or a cult.
Everyone on the outside knows what is going on in the BVI. Hate to say it but, do you realy think anyone is willing to visit a place where everything is unstable. Haïti is unstable,no one is going to Haïti for vacation.
Ummm, the cruise lines had issues before this expats vs bvi-landers thing came into existence not everything is about you guys.
The Tortola Pier Park needs proper management ASAP otherwise that place will become a white elephant. So much potential but it seems everyone is busy acting like they are the boss to run the place properly. I don’t know how the tenants out there are able to pay that high rate of rent with the behavior of the management, stifling their businesses and their potential for earnings.
ST.Thomas have so many things to attract the Cruise ship sector. Pier Park has nothing on Haven Site. Any given day when ships is in Port,you can hardly walk down Main Street or on the Water front. The taxi drivers and safari drivers is much more professional than the drivers in Tortola.once one ship pull out,the others will follow.Maybe the Tourist board in Tortola need to dismantel and start over.
The most racist and prejudice person in the world is the President of the U.S.A. Lets continue to be mindful of that fact.
I disagree, The most racist people I’ve encountered were in Tortola and Virgin Gorda. I’ve bare boated the BVI for the last 20 years.
The last trip was 2018, never again.
The big fat taxi driver sitting at the both at the airport yelling at incoming tourist is a flat out racist.
Totola is full of white hating folks. Leverick Bay was an absolute joke.
Rude is an understatement.
Simply false, period. Wondering if your mirror is non reflective.
sorry but the tourist board here is an ineffective bunch with NO imagination .
Can this or any other news blog do their job and ask the Premier which cruise line said this? Or if indeed ANY cruise line actually said these words? These sites continue to just be rumour rags pretending to be credible news outlets. The Premier of any country should not be allowed to make such statements without being questioned. This is a disservice to the public.
Thank you for your comment!!!! Where are the facts????
I wish all the cruise ship stop coming here and every tourist because u people are a set of selfish and greedy people who don’t like anyone but your own , god don’t like ugly , u see the way you all treating expat ?
They dont have the time to promote their own country instead they use the time to bring down other Caribbean islands an their ppl then when stuff like this happens they turn an blame (down island ppl) expats for it…where their focus needs to be they let that slide.
Y’all come for me now with y’all ignorance
This is nothing to do with Party.. it has to do with People and the service they give … And let’s be Real Guys.. We ourselves tired complain about the attitudes and behaviors of some Businesses..
If yall get taxi man who are locals at the peir park telling cruise guests oh tortola dont has nothing to shop but go st Thomas and st maarten where it’s better. What you thing will happen ?
Stwww
BVI customs and immigration has a serious problem with nasty attitude and sour faces. This has been an issue for years and has been a running joke. Great first impression for visitors
Sounds like the claim they’d rather sail to Antartica than the BVI is hyperbole, unless the quote can be attributed to something. Trump-style claim IMHO
That said, no doubt that the nonsense BVI government likes to impose certainly makes cruise ships (and others) wonder about the wisdom to come here.
Can’t have the almighty USD without outsiders bringing it in.
I remember a time, prior to the Pier and cruise ships, when tourism in the BVI was mainly focused toward quiet beaches and beach bars and sailing. When the decision was made to go to cruise ships, no one made any plans for what to do with all the people who would arrive at one time. Open taxi cabs were slowly introduced but without enough places to go. Best bet now is to improve roads, expand lookout areas, promote hiking, get people to all the islands (with something to do there also), and keep the beaches clean with good bathrooms. It sounds obvious,and it is, but now that you rely on cruise ships, finish the job.
You want cruise ships back or tourism to improve? Replace the “faces” of Tortola that meet and greet the tourists at customs and immigration with smiling, happy expats not your cousin who needs a job that he/she absolutely hates.
First impressions go a long way.
Arrival in STT is a great cultural experience but then a few hours later when you reach Tortola, it is quite the opposite. It’s like they don’t want you on their land as a guest.
Sounds like a crock of sh*t to me. Vessels that cruise Antarctica are totally different that those that ply the Caribbean. Sounds like someone is grandstanding big time.
The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and they that dwell therein. When Christ Jesus returns, the wicked will be asked, what did you do with My son’s blood shed for your redemption. Let’s work towards that which is invisible and eternal and forget about temporal things including our brief abode. Live peaceable with all men and let try winning souls for God’s kingdom.