BVI News

Most countries are marketing! How will you reboot tourism, Premier?

Representative of the Second District, Melvin ‘Mitch’ Turnbull.

Premier and Minister of Tourism Andrew Fahie is being asked to produce evidence of his plans to reboot the BVI’s struggling tourism industry.

This request is from Second District Representative, Melvin ‘Mitch’ Turnbull, whose constituency makes up a large part of the local tourism sector.

He is slated to put his request and other related questions to Premier Andrew Fahie when the third session of the fourth House of Assembly convenes on Thursday.

According to the Houses order paper for those proceedings, Turnbull will specifically ask: “Given that most countries and booking agents have already started strategic marketing to potential visitors for the fourth quarter of last year and now almost through the first quarter of 2021; could the Premier and Minister of Finance please tell this Honourable House, what plans are in place to meet with industry partners locally, regionally and internationally to get the assistance and input that is necessary for rebooting our tourism sector?”

Turnbull will also seek to find out the estimated amount of lost revenue and aggregated economic impact realised in the tourism sector since the BVI closed its borders roughly a year ago.

While the BVI has since reopened the TB Lettsome International Airport, the territory’s seaports — through which the BVI receives the majority of its guests — are still closed.

The BVI Ports Authority recently announced that it would be putting off the reopening of local seaports for a third consecutive time.

It was first announced that the Road Town Ferry Terminal would resume accepting international traffic on December 8. The government however deferred that date to January 21 and again to March 1.

And a week before their March 1 schedule, the BVIPA pushed the reopening by another month-and-a-half.

 

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25 Comments

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  1. Hmmm says:

    He doesn’t have a plan
    All he know to do is lie to the ppl
    Everybody understand he is protecting the ppl from coronavirus
    But come on it’s time to open the economy for tourism
    And remove all those stupid high fees to come here
    What the bvi is made of gold and diamonds
    Ppl already know the have to were there mask, wash hands regularly, social distance, sanitize etc
    So what is stopping the opening
    Andrew Fahie is a selfish person he don’t care if the ppl are suffering
    He living in a mansion rent free and eating lavishly while the poor out here struggling to eat 1 meal a day some get none

    Like 53
    Dislike 4
  2. Questions says:

    Mitch has all the questions in the world and offers not a single answer.
    It’s easy to point and say do this and do that and everything sounds sweet to the public ear. But what about the practical side?
    1 year ago we did not know about covid.
    Now there is a vaccine and there are mutant strains of the virus.
    Do we know where and when covid will end? The answer is no.

    Like 10
    Dislike 29
  3. KLM says:

    I don’t believe Andrew Fahie has any plans for Tourism and as we know by now whatever plans they announce will be postponed. He seems to be a one-man show anyhow the rest of them are no better. This government is taking the BVI to a very dark place if something doesn’t happen soon to change the course we are heading.

    Like 44
    Dislike 1
  4. Mitch says:

    Please start representing the 2nd district. You are an ineffective representative, but you seem to have aspirations for territorial representation.

    Like 7
    Dislike 15
  5. He needs to answer.. says:

    Great question Mitch. I dont think they have a Clue. The Premier is overwhemed he is trying to do everything, he wants to run the country solo single handedly…I am so surprised that No one in his government can show courage, character and put the people who vote for them first and stand up against the Premier. To add The Premier is the only VIP seat that sure, maybe #5 if election should call in 6 months time…Wake up!. Stand up!

    Like 23
  6. LG says:

    it obviously should not be Fahies plan, who says he knows anything about tourism, he has no credentials in that department. let tourist board come up with a plan and bring to the house. that is what you do in a democracy .

    Like 14
  7. yolo says:

    you can’t make people happy…..ok say he open the country ….covid get on a rampage….you death….your love one death….then you going hear ooooo he open the county to fast…..tortola people don’t wear there mask when they out partying or at any function ….enjoy or lil cage for the mean time there is social security…if u have been paying your tax go to them you will have access to your funds.

    Like 5
    Dislike 9
  8. BILLY BOB says:

    TOURIST SEASON ENDS NEXT MONTH. WHAT WE WANT IS FOR THE PREMIER TO VACATE HIS OFFICE OR WE THE PEOPLE IS GOING ASK THE UK TO REMOVE HIM FROM OFFICE.

    Like 20
    Dislike 4
  9. Hotelier says:

    There are lots of tourist spots in Fahies constituency. As far as I am aware he has visited none of them. He has discussed the situation with no one in the industry.

    He obviously doesn’t care.

    Like 19
  10. hmm says:

    The system is flawed. Members do stand up to him. when those guys vote majority always rule

    Like 3
    Dislike 2
  11. Too many hats says:

    So Fahie is the Premier, the Minister of Finance, the Minister of Tourism… anything else? Why does one person need to be so in control of everything? Jack of all trades and master of none!

    Like 18
    Dislike 2
  12. Tarik says:

    simple solution: get rid of the quarantine. ESPECIALLY for visitors who are vaccinated. The tourists will be back in droves.
    It is mind boggling. I, along with many others, visited the USVI this year, after being loyal to the BVI for 20 years, and it felt perfectly safe and reasonable.
    Covid-19 is not as big of a problem as the media makes it out to be. Ask visitors to present a negative test before visiting and fill out a contact tracing form just like for the USVI. Poverty and mental heath struggles for citizens is much more fatal.
    You’d think losing the spring regatta would be a wake up call.

    Like 14
    Dislike 6
    • Me too says:

      I am with you Tarik. I too have chartered for many years in the BVI. The quarantine rules this year are too much. I along with my whole crew are now vaccinated. I sent an email to the prime minister of health Honourable Calvin Malone, asking if he would modify the quarantine period for those who can prove that they have received the COVID vaccinations. He said that he wouldn’t modify it. I cannot afford to take 5 extra days to quarantine in a hotel or even aboard the charter vessel. Swimming within 30 feet of the boat for 5 days doesn’t sound like much of a vacation. I am going to start chartering elsewhere, even when the quarantine lifts. There are plenty of places that are exercising precautions and having success.

      Like 11
      Dislike 3
  13. Ausar says:

    Honourable Turnbull, you are so right!

    Second district residents and their tourism based businesses are hurting!

    What is the marketing plan being pitched even to those of us Belongers living here in the US Virgin Islands?

    We’re reading very little of any stable plans. And what we do read, is geared toward cancellations and updates only. Nothing absolute!

    Now is the time for decisive action that will get our economy moving forward again!

  14. Tell you one thing says:

    And I have money riding on this, Come next election, NDP is going to turn it up. With all that is going on and the distrust by the people, I don’t see VIP getting re-elected.

    Like 4
    Dislike 3
  15. We Failed says:

    BECAUSE THE PREMIER THINKS IT IS HIS WORD AND THAT IS FINAL. MR. PREMIER, WHAT MAY WORK FOR YOU MAY NOT WORK FOR ME VISE VERSOR, LOOKS LIKE YOUR CABINET IS AFRAID OF YOU AND CAN ONLY SPEAK OUT ONLY IF YOU APPROVES AND IT SUIT YOUR NEEDS. MR. PREMIER, YOU DON’T KNOW EVERYTHING, YOU APPEARS TO BE RUNNING THE COUNTRY LIKE YOU ARE RUNNING A HOME. I SAY YES/NO, THAT IS THE WAY IT IS GOING TO BE, I AM THE ONE IN CHARGE,WHAT I SAY GOES. AM I WRONG?

    Like 4
    Dislike 1
  16. Spirit says:

    Oh, now, give the government a break!
    They replaced “Nature’s Little Secrets” with the new tourism brand “BVI Love”. The Ports Authority has a new logo. The Department of Immigration has new uniforms.

    Like 3
    Dislike 1

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