Non-stop Concert can help to improve infrastructure
Amid cries for the government to cancel the upcoming Non-stop Concert that is set for June 30, Premier Natalio Wheatley has tagged the controversial event as part of his government’s strategy to generate much-needed revenue for the territory.
The free concert is set to be held at the Festival Grounds in Road Town to celebrate the resumption of American Airlines’ non-stop flights from Miami to the territory. It will feature internationally acclaimed acts such as R. City, Monay, Vibe and reggae artiste Konshens.
Although residents feel as if the $250,000 earmarked for the show could be better spent to repair failing public infrastructure, Premier Wheatley said the concert is part of efforts to boost heritage tourism, attract more visitors and generate more funds that can be spent on fixing public infrastructure.
“Yes, I hear the cries of the public that we have many priorities to be addressed. But the money that allows us to build better roads, finance derelict removal, build our schools and improve our community comes from our financial services and tourism industries. Investing in our tourism industry will help us to fix the very same problems that we all want to see addressed,” Wheatley posited in a statement on June 8. “Government also collects more taxes from visitors, spurred by activities such as this. This was proven with the Buju Banton Concert, the BVI music festivals of the past, Christmas in July, and so many more events.”
He also said the concert will positively impact many entrepreneurs in the community who get to offer their services to people who attend the festivities.
“This concert is also part of a larger effort to build the entertainment industry in the Virgin Islands. Events such as these create economic benefits for our society [and are] especially crucial in the slower economic season in the summer,” Premier Wheatley explained.
He added that he has a responsibility to create business opportunities, and employment, and bring them into the territory. He said he doesn’t take this responsibility lightly and is aggressively pursuing the growth of the BVI economy.
“I see the challenges in our infrastructure, in our education system, in the amount of money we get paid. To address these challenges, there must be an aggressive effort to grow our economy. One of the most logical ways to grow our economy by attracting more visitors is to improve air access, provide more activities, and diversify our overall product,” the Premier explained.
The event has been moved to the festival village in Road Town. It’s not yet clear whether the majority of residents will show support amid the widespread disapproval being voiced by some sections of the community.
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I believe he gone off now! Look what we have for a Premier. Our standards are really very low.
I will not be attending!
Please can I have some of whatever these guys are smoking? Must be some real high grade material for this to make sense.
Kerching!
This Natalio guy doesn’t understand the difference between an expense and an investment.
An investment brings future returns (hopefully). Expenses typically are one off events. This concert is a one off. Not a single person is going to buy the extremely expensive AA tickets to visit our islands. And even if they do it would bring in a few hundred bucks into our economy.
Investing in tourism would be:
– improving processes at the airport and the ferry dock. Arriving in the BVI is always a headache and usually unpleasant.
– investing in marine preservation to make sure next generations can enjoy the waters of the BVI
– investing in education for tourism roles. Currently BVIs own staff members are still very rude and unprofessional towards tourists (not all obviously, but our service levels are very low now)
– finally clean up the islands to get rid of Irma damage. We look like (are) a third world country with these broken boats and vehicles everywhere.
Your concert is just an expense…
He is a m**u
Fraser has his first reason to file a vote of no confidence.
In the spirit of transparency and open government, let us see the Government’s calculations as to how this concert will turn a profit for the country. For the Premier to say what he has, he must surely have done some financial analysis to justify his comments. If not, then his comments are pure BS and he’s shooting from the him in a desperate attempt to justify a bad decision and useless expense.
In all honesty, reading this makes me weep for our Country!
This cat can’t even listen to reason. He says that he ‘hears’ the cries of frustration from the people yet has even more audacity to double down and tell us he’s investing on the future. That this $250k is a wise decision, and he knows best how to grow the economy.
Tourism is under his portfolio, and he knows nothing! The Director of Tourism also guides that ship, and she knows nothing! Every person that is in charge of the Tourism Sector, f-ing knows NOTHING!
You see where this is going? Much like the garbage truck that currently sits on the water’s edge below Sophie Bay hill!
WHAT A CROCK OF COW DUNG
American Airlines has begun flying to the BVI is just stupid. Think about that for a moment. Who does this?
There is no other way to describe this. Its juvenile.
Now amidst all the complaints against rather than come to his senses and recognize how bad and silly this all looks he doubles down and comes up with this ludicrous story that the party is going to generate revenues to help build the infrastructure. This is madness.
What government throws a so called nonstop party to raise funds to build their infrastructure? If this the best they can come up with to raise money for the country, then one cannot expect nothing major to happen in this country over the next 4 years.
Just cancel the darn thing and stop the madness. When you are in a hole stop digging. This is the type of decision an immature teenager would make. Not the leader of a country. Grow up guys and start acting like mature adults rather than kids hanging out around the block.
Elections have consequences. You voted these people in. These are the kinds of decision they make. Its embarrassing.
NON-STOP WATER AND ELECTRICITY SUPPLY COULD ALSO IMPROVE THE INFRASTRUCTURE
People of the BVI we need to Boycott this Bull $hit.
Premier, you’re an intelligent man, so when you’re doubling down on nonsense, it makes me wonder if this is an underhanded way of paying another obeah man for an election victory. Please give me a better explanation, because your reasoning is contrary to your and the people’s level of intelligence. We aint stupid….
Like I said, EVERYTIME I read about this man, I feel so heavy, depressed and burdened. Save me from myself please bvinews. Please throw in one or two daily articles about the inspiration from the words of Hon Myron Walwyn. What we need is an inspirational leader and I can think of no one else that fits the bill. I feel so heavy right now, I want to bawl!!
That’s the problem. Planning is piss poor. Maybe you get people to come to the Bvi in the summer and spend some money on entertainment and that helps us with our off-season business but anybody in concert promotion knows that you need six months to get a good result especially in a remote place so yes kind of like a teenager coming up with an idea drinking beer not well planned
Does he take us all for fools? It costs A LOT of money to get to the BVI and to stay here. The people who can afford to come here on vacation are NOT interested in Konshens performing. They will be more attracted by: Solid infrastructure, reliable electricity and water supply, low crime rates ect…. What on earth are we going to gain by putting on a one night free concert? Which tourist is going to be coming here for that? What infrastructure will be improved by that?
We should all strike by not going to this concert!
This is outrageous I can’t even go if I wanted to because the roads are so bad!
If you want to increase tourism realistically! Start working on reducing prices across the territory. The reason the locals leave to other destinations is because it is cheaper than here!
Honourable MYRON WALWYN FOR PREMIER!! Drop the bogus charges and STOP THE FRIG!!!
Add this to the $800,000 the National Parks spent for nothing. Why did people vote for these guys? Kickbacks?
The problem that he is experiencing is that more than likely, artists have been booked and hefty down payments have been made. To cancel now would mean that the money goes down the drain and the premier would look more incompetent. He is truly between a rock and a hard place. He should have taught carefully before making such a silly decision.
Intelligent long-term planning and hiring competent people to work on the infrastructure will help the infrastructure.
Not wasting taxpayers’ money on one-off events to boost the ego of certain government officials will help the infrastructure.
Listening to the will of the people and open transparency from our government will help build confidence.
I am embarrassed
Hold a college Degree…but lack wisdom! Don’t you have counselors and advisors around you? If you don’t please get some! Unreal!
Please lets have the first vote of no confidence. Where is Lorna, what she think of this. Is her silence a sign she is not happy?
YOU HIT THE NAIL ON THE HEAD!!!!!
IT IS JUVENILE, IMMATURE…YOU’D THINK HE NEVER SAW A BIG PLANE LAND. JUST KEEP MAKING THEMSELVES THE LAUGHING STOCK AND SETTING THEMSELVES UP TO FAIL!
WHAT TOURIST GOING TO THIS ….NONE!
HOW IS THIS GENERATING REVENUE AND BUILDING THE INFRASTRUCTURE …IT IS NOT!!
HOW MANY WILL BE BATHING IN BUCKET AND USING LANTERN TO GET READY FOR THIS NONSENSE…PEOPLE BOYCOTT IT!!
Governor, we are calling for an election so that we the people can vote for who we want to represent us as our Premier. Sowande’s name does not qualify to be on the list. We need a Premier Election URGENTLY.
How much tongue our Premier has? BVI Hollywood
SIR WE ARE IN JUNE NOW, PLEASE SAVE THAT MONEY FOR HELPING PERSONS IN NEED IF A MAJOR HURRICANE SHOULD COME, OR PUT IT INTO FESTIVAL, OR PUT IT INTO HELPING WITH HOSPITAL BILLS, OR INTO ROADS, OR INTO HOMES, OR INTO SCHOOLS, OR INTO TEACHERS, OR INTO LOW WAGE WORKERS,OR INTO THE BEEF ISLAND RUNWAY, OR INTO THE INCINERATOR, OR INTO A MENTAL HEALTH HOSPITAL, OR INTO ANYTHING NEEDING BETTERMENT. STOP THIS FOOLISHNESS LOOK AFTER THE COUNTRY FIRST B4 THIS CRAP.
PLEASE WE ARE BEGGING FOR A BETTER TOMORROW.
This id**t was able to say that with a straight face? Clearly a graduate of the CSC school of bull manure flinging.
Or she doesn’t give a rat’s _ _ s?
Non-stop Concert! Sounds like a bunch of noise that goes on all night and keeps people up!
Please Stop!
No “Investment” going on here. Just more knee jerk spending that is greasing some buddy palms.
Use this money to fix the hospital. We need 24/7 trauma units on all major islands. When a tourist gets cut up by boat prop and dies – they wish you had spent this money on hiring some paramedics.
Sl**ande : Actor, L**r through that fake smile
THAT WAS NICELY PUT ? ? / SO WHERE CAN THIS CSC SCHOOL OF THE ART OF THE
FLINGING OF BULL MANURE BE FOUND ? , HOPEFULLY IT PERTAINS TO AGRIGCULTURE ( WE HAVE SO MUCH FARM LANDS AT PARIKITA THATS JUST LAYING THERE WAITING TO BE USED / THERE ARE PEOPLE FROM ALL AROUND THE WORLD WHO ARE HERE THAT CAN BE EMPLOYED AS FARMERS AND WITH A COMBINATION OF CULTURES WITH THE NATIVES CAN PRODUSE HEALTHY TOP QUALITY ( NON GMO ) PROVISION AND VEGETABLES TO FEED OURSELVES FIRST BEFORE WE CAN THINK ABOUT EXPORTING ANY OR GOING INDEPENDENT ,( WEED ) WONT GET THE JOB DONE
Socialist wanna be accidental premiers like to use fetes to placate the citizenry. They do not care about the costs as the money is inconsequential to them. It’s for the public use
This is who you elected
nice