More patience needed for tourism fixes
Junior Minister for Tourism and Culture Luce Hodge-Smith has appealed to BVI residents for more patience as the government tackles persistent tourism challenges.
Speaking in the House of Assembly recently, Hodge-Smith affirmed the government’s commitment to enhancing the tourism sector and underscored the need for a well-structured tourism plan.
“I just want to, from my side of things, ask [the] public to be a little bit more patient with us as a government as we work to satisfy all the needs of our people, recognising that the reason why we are here and why the persons went to the polls to vote us here is to make a difference,” Hodge-Smith urged.
The first-term legislator pledged to make good on that promise, arguing that elected officials did not put themselves up for office just for the sake of being there.
Hodge-Smith pointed to ongoing and future projects intended to boost community morale and tourist appeal. These include the restoration of historical buildings and enhanced local festivities, which are vital for maintaining the cultural heritage and attracting tourism.
The Junior Minister also highlighted the engagement with the Caribbean Tourism Organisation to refine the BVI’s approach to tourism. “We are in discussions with the Caribbean Tourism Organisation and they are going to be assisting us with our tourism plan,” Hodge-Smith explained. She emphasised the importance of incorporating feedback from industry practitioners to ensure the plan comprehensively addresses all facets of the tourism industry.
Additionally, Hodge-Smith noted the importance of maintaining up-to-date commitments with regional tourism bodies, suggesting that the BVI is an active and contributing member of the Caribbean tourism landscape. She noted that the forthcoming tourism plan aims to be in place by the end of the year and promises to propel the tourism sector forward by the following year.
Hodge-Smith reiterated her plea for patience and understanding from the public, indicating that the territory’s leaders share the goal of seeing the BVI thrive.
“All of us in this honourable House want to see our country in a better state than before, and all of us collectively on both sides, we’re going to work diligently to do the things that we need to do to move our country forward,” she assured.
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Hot air! Waste of time! The whole lot of them! Restoring historic buildings is tourism? You need CTO to help with BVI tourism plan? WTH? People used to look up to BVI in CTO. Now we looking up to CTO for help? We have very capable people right in BVI who can put together that plan including all the tourism partners. Luz is clueless! Premier, head of the Tourism board and Director of tourism board are also all very much clueless! We are in this bad state now because of HC and your government Luz! Before ayo got in BVI Tourism was thriving and we were winning awards left and right. The travel agents couldn’t get enough of BVI. As soon as HC and now Accidental get in power, then the whole ship tumble down. Force out all the senior people who running tourism and put a clueless yes-man in place. Put a bunch of people on the Board who know not a thing about tourism. Put the clueless teacher to be chairwoman of Tourism like she knew anything about tourism to begin with. We have no patience for your victimization and incompetence when it comes to tourism Mr Premier and Ms Jr Minister. Put people in place who actually know what they are doing and move the non performers out! Now!!!!
We are running out of patience
They will listen to anyone but the local tourism stakeholders. Be patient? We have been patient! The bank isn’t patient when we have to pay bills. Patience doesn’t buy a loaf of bread at RiteWay. Our tourists are not patient. They have gone and will go somewhere else. This lady never should have been elected.
Tourism is the lifeblood of our economy. If successive governments could see anything beyond direct-to-government revenue, they would have recognised long ago that tourism contributes a lot more to our economy than financial services. Whenever financial services need some sort of addressing or legislative change, everything drops. Tourism has been on the back burner for years. We have been repeatedly promised a tourism strategy for years.
Every time this poor woman opens her mouth nonsense comes out.
Clueless one term senator
Oh Please!
Stop this amateur hour stupidness. Hire a real ad agency in New York. Pay them to execute a actual tourism campaign like all the other Caribbean islands do.
Tourist come from outside the BVI. Start there. Dump that nutty ‘BVI Love’ that came out of coached meetings with a bunch of people talking out they a**.
This is dragging down the whole economy.
If you read Virgin Islands property,yachts,& life you would not be here talking nonsense miss.Go to the Copper Mine Point National Park, voted best Historical Hotspot and the Government ain’t do nothing to help restore the ruins as well as repair the visitors center never used since being constructed.I guess you waiting for the ruins to fall then you will come aboard.Only in V.G Lord send help
agreed vg has so much potential for tourism but gets neglected by the capital tortola just like the hunger games
It seems to me that the government has focused all its energies on attracting cruise ships and collecting the per person fees from the cruise lines. The hordes of people that descend on the beaches from these ships are a huge turnoff to the people that spend days or weeks in the BVI as tourists. Those folks rent hotel rooms, rent houses, dine in restaurants and shop in grocery stores and retail shops. The ships drive these folks and their money away.
This ain’t the 1960s anymore. Demographics have changed. The charter companies, restauranteurs, supermarket and villa owners do well in your version of the BVI but what about others? We have to accept that the niche and strategy of years gone cannot sustain our people and the BVI economy. We cannot be the elitist we once were.
The BVI has to balance all sectors and not demonize one over the other
Premier and MCW only listen to the white Canadian girl and forgot the rest of the industry.
Still can’t find the right deal with a big kickback?
Hehehehe…..ayeee
Is it really smart to have the competition devise our tourism plan? I think we came do it ourselves. You have money to send people to research what works from our perspective.
My Dear Good Lady, the only thing we, the people want to hear about all 13 of you doing is: Coming to us and telling us about the 100% salary Increase that all 13 of you just received.
Secondly, We, the people want to know who gets the Travel Expense Report when certain HOA Members travel to Grenada or throughout the World with a different Mistress in their Hotel Room.
Tell us, please tell us. Transparency Please!!!!