Government releases draft national tourism policy
The government has released a draft Virgin Islands National Tourism Policy for public review, outlining a 10-year framework to reshape the territory’s tourism industry.
In a press statement issued yesterday, the administration said it is “making considerable progress towards finalising the Virgin Islands National Tourism Policy (2026-2036) and the draft is now available for public review”.
According to the release, the policy proposes “a comprehensive framework for transforming the territory’s tourism sector into a resilient, inclusive, and globally competitive pillar of sustainable development”. It also seeks “to achieve a balanced tourism model, harmonising the benefits of mass tourism with the exclusivity and high-value potential of luxury and boutique tourism”.
Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley described the draft as a milestone in the government’s approach to the sector. “The National Tourism Policy represents a significant milestone in the government’s commitment to the tourism sector and provides a clear, modern framework to guide its growth and diversification,” Dr Wheatley said.
He added that the policy “articulates government’s long-term commitment to strengthening tourism as a central pillar of the Virgin Islands’ economy, one that supports livelihoods, encourages investment, protects the territory’s natural and cultural assets, and ensures that the benefits of tourism are more widely and sustainably shared across the various communities”.
The Premier further stated that the policy sets out “clear objectives focused on improving governance and coordination across government, strengthening the overnight and marine tourism product, enhancing destination quality and resilience, and aligning tourism development with national sustainable-development goals”.
Permanent Secretary in the Tourism Ministry, Joseph Smith-Abbott, said the draft policy and supporting documents are now available on the government’s website. “We are delighted to be able to present these important documents to the public and we anticipate your feedback as we seek to finalise the policy. The formulation of the policy is grounded on extensive consultations with tourism stakeholders, who helped shape the future of the sector for years to come,” Smith-Abbott said.
The Ministry invited members of the public to review the documents and submit comments via the government’s website or by email. The deadline for submissions is February 27, 2026.
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Thanks to Hon. Walwyn. It seems like you have to embarrass this government to get them to do anything. We need Dean back to take pothole pictures to embarrass them to fix them. But oh! They picked him off with a contract. SMH
This 128 paged document is nothing more than an undergraduate collegiate research paper with little or no real substance. Not to mention the many grammatical and even spelling mistakes. There is No mention of upgrading the airports on VG or Anegada. No mention of upgrading the Customs and Immigration facilities on JVD or VG. Lies about the Environmental Tourism levy going to the tourist board. No discussion about increasing the accommodation capacity in a practical way via investments. No real modernization of the legislation to incentivize new investments. No inclusion of the airport expansion and its impacts on the industry. No meaningful discussion of developing the tourism infrastructure. This is not data driven and relies solely on what the writer heard people say at the so called consultations and the poorly attended tourism summit. What does the gender split at the consultations have to do with anything? Why is Premier mentioned in a document that is supposed to cover the next 3 administrations? Where is the discussion on our target markets and target demographics? Where is the research? Where is the data? Where are the references and sources? How is the ministry’s role supposed to overlap with the Tourist Board’s role? How is this Events Board supposed to coexist with the Tourist Board? Where is the money coming from to fund all of these new departments and boards’ salaries and budgets?
This is just a rush to get something out, ahead of the snap elections to say they created a policy. Never mind that it is lacking substance or any practicality.
Sadly most people will not even bother to read the document, including the people who are supposed to implement the provisions in the document.
It appears that you have some valid contributions Shameful. Have you made any effort to communicate these ideas to individuals with the capacity to convey them to the Premier, or to request a meeting with the Premier directly? Quite often, gatekeepers—fearful of being eclipsed by those with substantive ideas— or motivated by job security restrict access and suppress engagement with anyone capable of effecting meaningful change.
That’s great! Now let us see if the numbers increase..I watching the Premier wuk!
I believe this is what the rich and powerful people here who control our government decisions want.
It is greedy, short term, outdated and a downhill run to the destruction of our islands which are, by any measure, one of the most beautiful natural wonders of the world