Cruise passengers chose not to shop at the Pier Park — Lewis
Chief Executive Officer (CEO)) of the Cyril B Romney Tortola Pier Park, Vance Lewis has indicated that his team did not cause cruise passengers to bypass shops at the park when the new cruise season opened last Wednesday.
In fact, the CEO told BVI News plans were put in place for cruise passengers to shop around once they disembarked their ship.
“A facilitation had been made for people who wanted free flow. Accommodations had been made but it seems the passengers chose not to go with that route,” Lewis explained.
In the end, the passengers were confined to two bubble locations approved by the BVI Tourist Board — Long Bay Beach on Beef Island and Cane Garden Bay Beach. But according to Lewis, having those cruise passengers bubbled might not have been the initial plan.
“The ship itself did not operate in a bubble but the passengers that came off the ship… I think the captain had made an announcement that they would operate in a bubble based on a myriad of factors,” Lewis explained.
He further said he was unaware if the bubble operation was the reason for the passengers not stopping at the Pier Park to shop.
We try to keep shop owners informed
The Pier Park CEO said his team tries to inform tenants of all information surrounding the return of the cruise ships and update them as quickly as possible if a situation changes.
“We had a zoom call with the operators and all the tenants in the Pier Park. We notified them of the ship that is coming,” the CEO said.
“We do our best to notify the tenants in the park of the information we know. We give them the details we have and we also make sure people are aware of the schedules of the ships that are coming to the territory,” he added.
Seabourn Odyssey became the first cruise ship to dock at the Pier Park for the new cruise ship season. However, many vendors and operators at the park were left stunned when passengers disembarked and went straight to the taxi operators and did not enter the park. It was a similar case when the cruise passengers returned from their excursions. They were told by the cruise ship attendants to head straight to the ship and they should not stop and shop.
BVI News tried reaching Junior Minister of Tourism, Sharie deCastro, for a comment but all efforts were unsuccessful.
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This may come as a shock but people on cruises are not going to pay over two times the price of anything when they can get it for a pittance at home and they don’t have to worry about airline baggage charges too on top . they will NEVER buy food there when they have a all you can eat buffet 24 hours a day on the boat
First, passengers stopping in St Thomas do their shopping there. 50 times the number of places to shop, better customs standards. However, anything being purchased can be bought cheaper on the internet than any store at TPP. Thus, no shopping unless it’s locally made. The only way to attract passengers to purchase is to have a TRUE duty free zone for passengers and island tourists to purchase. Thus, the TPP would better looking at providing a shopping experience, dining and evening activities to the yacht and villa renters who are interested in spending locally. In other words open the place up at night for local tourists. You all need to have actual tourists advise and not the locals that think they know what to do. Carry on!!
Like he too caught the untrustworthy syndrome from our leader?
Why everybody telling all these lies ???
Maybe some cruisers will shop in the TPP this Sunday during the next scheduled cruise ship visit.
Can someone tell me how did this man who doesn’t have an ounce of experience in tourism get this job.
The reason he has the job is because the racists first would never hire a white that KNOWS the white tourists. Second, it is beyond the Belonger mind to ever admit they are wrong or don’t know. Last, the Belonger would never give any thought to hire outside the Territory even though it would help many. So there you have it. Be happy you collecting the Environmental “white” Tax.
Poor you. And while at, learn this Caribbean phrase and its meaning, “pot calling the kettle black.”
Ha ha i have to laugh racist or people who have to be careful the indians weren’t racist when Columbus came and what did that get them.
I think it was cheaper that the CEO kept his mouth shut than to open it with this drivel. Unbelievable! Those size ships do not have a great impact on shopping in the BVI, that’s a given and has been over the years. Why did he see the need to comment on this?
The CEO was asked a question, and it was polite of him to respond.
Everyone knows cruises are all inclusive…no need to buy anything off the ship
you obviously have never been on a cruise smh. the only thing that is inclusive is the food, and not even all of it. Specialty restaurants aren’t fee.
Cruise passengers are the worst at spending money at the destination…
Higher end cruise lines like Seaborne differ from the lower-cost, mass market lines like MSC and other huge ships that visit Tortola. The smaller, more expensive ones include all food and beverage, including alcohol.
I think we may all be missing the obvious, the stores at the Pier Park complex may not be considered part of the bubble by the cruise operators, which, deleted that grouping out of the shopping community. Those that stayed aboard the ship did so rather than be tested to gain freedom to wonder, and, SHOP.
Bottom line: if we want cruise passengers to shop, we may have to remove all restrictions and Covid protocols.
And get vaccinated!
All cruise ship passengers are vaccinated, that’s a requirement to board the ship.
Yes but not all the persons working in the TPP shops are vaccinated!
You mean just like what every other country in the world is doing rite. You got to be an idiot
Everything the tourists want to buy are at Crafts Alive and other true cultural stores in the bvi. They don’t want no cheap made in China crap or anything they can buy back where they from. House of luxury, diamonds international etc….. the bulk of the tourists don’t want that … They want the glass pipe lady AFFECTIONATELY.called SIS. THEY WANT Egburt who owns the sea shell museum and his crafts…they want hand made items, locally made soaps, pottery etc…..
Why do we waste time with these cruise ships? The govt collecting its head tax and maybe a few taxi man are the only ones making any money off of them. They aren’t going to shop at our pier park when everything offered there can be bought on Amazon at home for a fraction of the price and free shipping. There is NOTHING unique in the stale a** pier park. Better to put casino there so at least our local gangsters and drug dealers can have a place to hang out and spend money.
The CEO was asked a question, and it was polite of him to respond.
Not seeing any cruise passengers..those few we had..Thats a few needles on the beach…We need to see the multitude of cruise passengers the Govt kept promising us…Then we can talk.
This song has been sung since the cruise ship first came to the BVI! “Ships telling the not to shop here!” When will the BVI every learn the cruise ships are not going to keep us afloat!
Yep you are a hundred percent correct if the BVI wishes to survive we have to look at other economic means such as using our resources in others ways instead of tourism like development of our fishing industry other countries have been fishing off our waters for years why don’t our government look into that.oh I’m not talking about sport fishing which depends on tourism.you cannot have a stable country which solely depends on visitors.diversity is strength. We have had all our leaders overlooked this.
Entire family had covid and recovered. Half vaccinated and still got it and recovered. Still waiting on no covid restrictions to sail a week in Feb. In about a month, it will be too late to book a trip. Tick tock.
I am not a cruise ship person, am a bare boat charter guy. My companions and I will spend hundreds of dollars provisioning our boat, eating in restaurants & bars, on taxi tours and scuba diving. We will also spend several nights in BVI hotels. Per person, we spend much more than any cruise ship passenger.
We just returned from spending 3 weeks in France where they have practical COVID protocols in place.
I am very concerned that my January BVI trip will be cancelled or moved to a different area due to the current BVI COVID protocol. All in my group are fully vaccinated and we don’t mind one bit having to produce proof of vaccination and we don’t mind having a COVID test 72 hours before arriving in BVI but we are troubled with the idea we will have to be detained at a BVI port of entry to take another COVID test.