Low COVID-19 cases put BVI ‘ahead of the pack’ for when global tourism resumes
The BVI Tourist Board has said the territory currently has an edge over competing countries whenever the global tourism industry gets back up and running.
Chairwoman of the Tourist Board Kenisha Sprauve said this is because of “the hard work of the various local agencies” who ensured that the number of COVID-19 cases in the BVI was kept relatively low.
“From a total of eight positive cases, the territory is now confirmed as having zero cases at present. This, of course … exposes the capabilities of our Virgin Islands people. Thus, the BVI is placed in an advantageous position when international travel resumes to be ahead of the pack,” Sprauve said.
Protocols to be developed for local tourism product
The BVITB Chairwoman said the Board now has plans to develop and test necessary protocols for the territory’s tourism product in preparation for when the BVI reopens to visitors.
The Board, in the meantime, is collaborating with other government agencies to develop more immediate protocols that Sprauve said “will be implemented with the upcoming resumption of limited repatriation flights for BVIslanders who are presently abroad“.
“The BVI is very anxious to have our visitors coming back to our shores, and we cannot wait for the all-clear to be given. There are thousands of persons who are frequent visitors, sometimes visiting annually with their families, and we truly miss their presence. All of our tourism industry stakeholders, and everyone at the BVI Tourist Board, are working assiduously to ensure that we do our part in helping the process. This is our number-one focus,” Sprauve said.
According to the World Tourism Organisation in a May 11 report, 100 percent of global destinations continue to have restrictions on travel in place. Another 72 percent has completely closed their borders to international tourism.
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Yeah right, so what about Anguilla that only had 3 cases? and their last case was 2 months ago, where does that put them in the middle? You all think is so the thing does work, get with ah you greedy selves, again me me me, people are afraid to travel and will build their economies first, is what white people do, you damn idiots.
What?
Just a thought that you may want to add some white people to your tourist board. Since the majority by far of the tourists are white perhaps some people that don’t have small/close minds like the local BVI’ers might help. Then again you would rather die than get help from the whites
An edge. The countries the tourist coming from have thousands on thousands of cases. You think they’ll care whether one island has 10 and another has 50. Most all the other islands have there cases under control as well.
It’s great news that there are currently zero Covid 19 cases, and feel sure that could be marketed to potential tourists. But how do you manage the return of visitors mid long term. The virus will still be worldwide for a long time, so you either let no one in until it’s vanished off the planet, or you have to have on the stop tests with immediate results on anyone and everyone entering the territory. That includes yacht charter guests, villa and hotel guests, day boats from USVI, private sailing yachts, visiting friends and family, business personnel meeting with companies, all commercial and private flights, cruise ships etc etc I don’t want to be negative but that is going to be some challenge
The BVI Tourist Board is full of BS
Ahead of which pack? The islands/countries that are ahead of the pack are those that ensured that their economies remained viable by initiated quick stimulus especially for small businesses. Who will cater to tourists when businesses here are already reeling and can’t make ends meet? I think we are in a warped dreamland if we really believe this bullshit! We are almost 3 months into this and still awaiting an economic plan from our leaders, which will obviously take another few months to come into effect. We should be proud, very proud.
Do they know what ahead means? You are behind with respect to economic stimulus but expect to be ahead with tourism readiness? Our main competitors don’t have many cases either but they do have proper airports to facilitate direct flights and are not handicapped like we are now that so many airlines have cancelled flights to SJU and STT.
So you are telling me that someone in the USA or Europe, where we get most of our tourists, currently have thousands and thousands of cases where they live and will make a vacation decision based on how many cases a tiny island has? Travel in itself is highly risky at this time so surely anyone willing go cram into an airport, get on a plane or even multiple planes, to get to the Caribbean, are not worried about how many COVID cases when they left a place with so many cases and took the risk to travel. The real question is what have we done to ensure that tourism based businesses have weathered the storm and do we have a plan? Did the TB or Govt consult with stakeholders in the industry? What are these comments based on just a feel good basis?
Just keep it closed for Cruise ships until the Pandemic is over. The little money they do spend here is not worth the risk importing the virus.
would love to know re-opening plans –lots of guests turned away. Will things be opened in August?
We are really simple minded in our thinking if that’s her conclusion. The virus has so far been largely contained in the Caribbean so our regional and even far flung competitors who can also boast the same thing. It doesn’t give us any edge. This is the time to bring to bear that “think outside the box” creative and innovative approach to tourism in order to give us the edge she is talking about Fewer people in our main markets US and Europe will likely be travelling for the foreseeable future so many will be competing for a much smaller market so your job is to really have a product with coming to. What really sets us apart from the pack? It can’t be about sea and sand anymore.
OMG WTH did I just read? This government and its statutory boards are getting dumb and dumber by the day.
so why do we need 30 Cuban COVID19 doctors?
For Pete’s sake let us be positive and hope for the best. I’m tired of the negative blogging. We are all in this together. Kudos to the Tourism dept for looking brightly at the future. Let us pray that we do not get any more cases.
I would encourage the tourist board to push for marketing of affordable staycation packages. Since we cannot travel abroad we can go to Anegada, Virgin Gorda and Jost Van Dyke for a week end. Please open up for us at least.
What do you expect when you choose incompetent persons to Chair and be on boards. This woman was heard saying you dont have to have tourism expertise and experience to be on the board. God help us all in this mess of a Board. Not one know anything about tourism
There is a general feeling that tourist are lining up and are just itching to take vacation. Just remember millions of people lost their jobs, millions lost on the stock market, millions of
businesses are close plus there is now the mortal fear of catching the virus in airports, airplanes and hotels. How many tourists do you think you are going to get.
What Repatration flights she talking about?? BVI Landers who ours ease have to pay their way to get home so I don’t know what flights she talking about.
Govt officials stated recently that 60% of their revenue comes from the financial industry. That being said how do they expect the normal citizen of the BVI to fend for themselves with no tourism. Hotels, yacht services, taxis, shopping, docking a and marinas able to survive and their employees who work there providing services.
So let all govt officials stop taking a pay check immediately and see how quickly things get turned on. Put them in same plan as the average employee is struggling where they will get their next funds from for food and basic necessities.
Has anyone really looked at the metrics of who this virus affects like others have done not to minimize any loss of life but we as US citizens know how to take care of ourselves by enhanced cleaning, social distancing, and other precautions enacted to keep us safe and our numbers are on a decline daily. The increase in cases is because we are testing check th numbers for hospitalizations and deaths which is going down daily.
I beg the powers that be not to become complacent about being Covid-free.I just watched some news from Cayman,where they are doing mass testing.A number of persons turned out to be positive and yet symptom free.This is the danger.Those persons can infect others unsuspectingly. .Please Carvin,tread carefully.