Penn: USVI welcoming charters as BVI creates PR firestorm in industry
As the neighbouring US Virgin Islands (USVI) continue to welcome charter yacht operators to its shores, the BVI government is being accused of making it challenging for charter yacht professionals to operate locally.
Opposition Leader Marlon Penn levelled those criticisms at a recent Opposition-held press briefing.
Penn said the USVI was able to raise its revenue to close to $100 million during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic while BVI’s revenues, in contrast, have remained stagnant or have regressed.
“We are seeing where they are putting policies in place to welcome our marine and charter industry practitioners into the US Virgin Islands while we create a public relations firestorm for the businesses that operate within our space and have continued to contribute economically to the development of persons within that space.”
“They are welcoming our customers, making adjustments to their laws and their policies while we are being strong armed and strong arming our economic activity in our country,” he said.
The Opposition Leader’s comments follow closely on the heels of a clampdown by Her Majesty’s Customs (HM Customs) in recent weeks on charter yacht businesses which reportedly fell afoul of the BVI’s maritime regulations.
At the time of the recent enforcement activity, scores of vessels were grounded and hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines were levied against the Moorings and other local charter yacht companies.
A PR maelstrom ensued which saw government officials laying the blame squarely at the feet of the charter yacht industry for its continued breaches of safety and other regulations which the government said were essential for compliance with maritime law.
Apart from these infractions however, the charter yacht industry have made complaints about HM Customs over the last few months. Those complaints surround the way in which yachts have been approached and searched during enforcement exercises conducted by some its officers.
Meanwhile Penn, has continued to lambast the government for its apparent lack of leadership and knee-jerk responses to repeated crisis situations.
According to the Opposition Leader, the government cut the social services budget in 2021 by as much as 33 per cent, in some instances. He said this happened during a time when the BVI was going through a social crisis.
“Leadership matters,” Penn argued. “We have to ensure that we have a government and a group of individuals with a vision for moving this country forward who understands the balance between the policies and regulations but they understand the importance of the economy and the welfare and the wellbeing of its people. We don’t see that right now.”
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The BVI was the sailing capital of the world until we made Andrew Fahie premier and rehired Wade Smith
@Truths and rights: The Commission just about revenue collection. The guy cares nothing about the tourism industry. Custom Officers in general lack professionalism which is killing the civil service in general. Lack of exposure to the outside world is one of the issues.
Amen!
Nobody seems to have their finger on the pulse of the economy. Mr. Smith’s only vision is of himself feeding the treasury (and maybe making his Christmas bonus?).
So damn true
It is not only the yachting industry they f—– up also labour n immigration split up so many families leaving all those children fatherless some motherless sending home so many working families. It’s crazy but the tables are turning now if any one noticed so many buisness places are weary of the harassment and and volunteering closing down there buisness and leaving.
But up to now busy busy lying govt ain’t mention a thing about that and how many people leave the bvi in the last year
Ha ha the U.S say come you are welcome along with many other countries leave those pigs down labour talking to people like dogs. They could never find your documents when you go there who taking them up
Examine the ownership of the businesses they are out to destroy and draw your own conclusions.
Now it is clear to me that some of us are hooked on evil politics. Boaters were caught defrauding the country. These yachts were operating without licenses and necessary equipment and maintenance and insurance to ensure the safety of tourists. Some were caught with undocumented workers, some with forged immigration documents. The Customs and Immigration department brought these infractions to the attention of the boaters repeatedly to no avail. To ensure that Customs are not caught in the web of the inadequacies highlighted by the COI, they moved in to enforce compliance. Are you saying that these boaters were badly treated? Are you saying they should have been slapped on the wrist and let go? Will the boaters go scot-free in US Virgin Islands if they continue with the same attitude? Has evil taken over from the Truth in our nation?
@Guess What – It’s not what you do, but how you do it.
@ Just Wrong. That’s exactly what I want to know. How is USVI treating them now? nicely in the face of blatant disregard to law and order?. On the other hand, what else could Immigration or customs have done, having met with these folks several times to get them to comply refused. Until such a time that whistle blowers were going to tap the horn. I don’t think any sensible police officer would let go, a traffic offender, driving in the opposite direction without head lights at night. Doing otherwise in the name of giving the offender, a break is the height of criminality
guess what? Every charter boats here MUST be insured and get a bvi licence before they can operate. When they starting to implement the safety requirements thats when they did not give out licences that is until you are in compliance. they were giving out cruising permits but you had to be in compliance within the period.
Thank you bvi for driving charters to our shores. Your incompetent government, disrespectful customs and immigration officers, high fees and “taxes” have now show cruising guests the better deals can be found in the USVI. We are the premier Virgin Islands and that name holds true.
Thank you
Now it is clear to me that some of us practice evil politics. Boaters were caught defrauding the country. These yachts were operating without licenses and necessary equipment and maintenance and insurance to ensure the safety of tourists. Some were caught with undocumented workers, some with forged immigration documents. The Customs and department brought these infractions to the attention of the boaters over and over again and to ensure that Customs are not caught in the inadequacies highlighted by the COI, they moved in to enforce compliance. Are you saying that these boaters were badly treated? Are you saying they should have been slapped on the wrist and let go. Will the se boaters go scot-free in US Virgin Islands if they continue with the same attitude? Has evil taken over from the Truth in our nation?
Think you are all missing the point. The innocent people who charter the yachts have had their holidays destroyed by this and the reputation loss to the BVI charter industry is catastrophic. This is hot on the heels of a lack confidence in the boating community about heavy-handed law enforcement at sea of people crossing through BVI waters.
Sure, the boats must have safety gear & licenses, but there were other ways to enforce apart from cancelling hundreds of families vacations.
Expect a downturn in tourism.
This anti business government is causing St.Thomas to eat all of our food so WE GOT TO VOTE THEM OUT
Not to put NDP back in though. Time to stop recycling these people.
You are right Marlon – Leadership matters, vision matters, and sadly you have neither. You do not even have the leadership and vision to bring your own team together 9 months before an election, and you hoping the Country will vote for you?
To most of us watching and listening, you look to be nothing more than a dog barking at passing cars! Lot of noise and zero substance, or credibility!
This administration and customs boss think they knows all tourisim is one of the things the virgin island depends on and you all treat the moorings and other charter company the way u all did. Time will tell
Mehnnn…This man complains about EVERYTHING!! Opposition needs to keep the government in check yes…but jeez man..voting season i guess.
and if he was quiet you would have an issue with that too! SMH
Businesses can cope with good times as well as bad times, what they cannot cope with is uncertainty, and, that is the climate the BVI government has created. This writer would suggest that the continued presence of the charter industry in these islands will very much depend upon the outcome of the COI investigation and recommendations. Simply put, catch me once shame on you, catch me twice, shame on me. Unless there is significant change, they will move to more business friendly locations, the imposition of fines was a self inflicted death sentence to this industry.
The charter industry wasn’t compliant with new regulations… and I believe I heard that some taxes weren’t paid up.
The government’s response to these serious problems, was the dumbest thing I’ve ever seen.
Working together, government & business, means there is regular communication and realistic targets set for non-compliance issues. “Policing” businesses, will prevent the BVI from reaching it’s potential, at best. At worst, some businesses will leave, and the tourism industry will point their clients to more stable vacation destinations.
Spot on Mr. Penn.
There are plenty of cute descriptions of the government’s management of our tourism product, and allowing Wade Smith to make himself the Yachting Czar, but generally these sorts of words ought not be printed in a community forum such as this, but one of them is well known by its initials: SNAFU
The premier of this country should goes to Ronnie skeleton, with some fresh new human beings the citizens of the BVI tired of all these old politicians who’s just in the house for just to get there pockets and friends pockets to be fill with our tax dollars ? and don’t give a fly about the peoples of this country…too much corruption under VIP government…period
The BVI Is suffering from department war or competition where one department is trying to out shine the other instead of working hand In hand for betterment for the BVI..Customers and police working solo don’t get tourism dept involvement and opinion. Vise versa, This failure is driving the BVI tourism industry down. It needs to be addressed.
“We are seeing where they are putting policies in place to welcome our marine and charter industry practitioners into the US Virgin Islands while we create a public relations firestorm for the businesses that operate within our space and have continued to contribute economically to the development of persons within that space.”
Primary school English here. How about:
“We are seeing where the USVI legislators are putting policies in place to entice our marine/charter industry companies to relocate to the USVI while BVI legislators are creating a PR nightmare for the BVI marine/charter companies and their employees which decreases their economic activity on all the islands of the BVI.
I am not a fan of the premier, but I can guarantee you that most if not all of the vessels operating in St Thomas have met the federal government’s operating requirements and are up to date. I understand that context matters, but the Charter Companies here seem to think that they are exempted from the laws. They, too, have to do their part and stop using the fact that they are central to the BVI’s economic success as a card to be complacent and break the rules. I have seen elevators in important buildings in the US shut down because entities failed to get them certified. It’s a partnership. The Charter companies have to govern themselves appropriately, and the Fahie administration has to do a better job. Exploiting this for political expediency is silly and should be avoided.
You are correct but sadly our issues stem from bad optics. You would know that in life it’s not always what you do but often, how it’s done. We could have and should have done a much better job at managing the issue with the yachts and other tourism related issues. Upholding the laws does not mean you need to be a hog or drag people. We need to understand our bread and butter industries and find ways to apply the laws while being reasonable. Nobody is saying let them do what they want because we earn a lot from them but manage it correctly. The BVI behaves as if it has manufacturing, natural resources, exports, oil, gases etc. when we do not. We are a service based economy and that calls for being alert and handling things properly because it can all go south very quickly.
@@Truth Seeker – BRAVO !!
May i tell you that those very federal government’s operating requirements in usa are not accepted here. What you think tom dick and barry can go and operate in usvi? No they have to be in compliance with that country requirements…which are not easier and less than what is required here.
The same people that wrongly predicted that tourism in the BVI was dead months ago are the same ones still talking all this gloom and doom today. When will they ever learn.
200 or so charter boats have left the BVI. That around £3 million a week.
You obviously have nothing to do with the tourism industry or you would realise how depressed it currently is.
Name just 5 of the 200
Playtime
Sonoma
Grace
Exit strategy
Gypsea
Brutal. I’ve been sailing in the BVI out of Moorings and marine Max for the last 15 years. The last 5-8 have been getting progressively worse. The customs people are rude and every time we come back there seems to be another ginned up tax.
Until the BVI gets its head out of its ass, we won’t be back. The charter industry is getting destroyed in travel forums for new charterers’ and the experience for veterans isn’t worth the hassle.
Shame, I was really looking forward to checking out the rebuilt BEYC and Saba.
We welcome every charter boat here.
We are still killing it on tourism.
At bvi expense. Thank you
Never have I seen a bunch of politicians so afraid of good ole capitalistic competition. Good for the working man so they don’t like it
what it is they really doing for the man in the street to survive, NOTHING. if they introduce something.. tell yuhself.. it will only benefit them in the end..
With internet and social media today the whole world especially potential tourists are watching this mess in the BVI..
Good Luck!
To all who bitching….Go St.Thomas, Barbados, Trinidad, Anguilla etc. Good riddance.
@Rex FeRaL – And that attitude is why the boats are leaving.
Oh, we are. You must be one of the customs agents in Road Town.
How come Quito..VG spots…stake holder’s with clout need to real in thus politicians.. the expats charter company’s don’t want to make waves. The bight used to be full to the brim..back in the days.It can all be brought back..the place better.. safer than usvi
I will never sail BVI waters again.