Rymer banking on ‘fair share’ of tourists

While expressing disappointment that the government’s promise of direct airlift between Miami and the British Virgin Islands (BVI) has not materialized, businessman Quito Rymer said he is pleased that the territory continues to get its ‘fair share’ of tourists despite a number of challenges.

As such he is confident he will have enough heads in beds when he officially opens his 21-room property at Cane Garden Bay in December.

“I personally feel that the BVI is ripe for development. The BVI is positioned in a way that, even though economies are bad, people still love it; people still travel. So, I think it is a good time [to invest],” Rymer told BVI News Online.

He further stated that the prospects in the hotel industry would have been brighter, had the government’s efforts to have BVI Airways fly directly between Miami and the BVI not hit a snag.

“It would have added to the ease and comfort of getting to the BVI. Without it, it still poses a challenge of getting the fair share of people here. It makes it very stressful; very expensive to get here. I really was looking forward to that [the direct flight], but it doesn’t seem to be happening.”

“The government has done a lot to get it done. I don’t know the intricate parts of it – what’s the problem. It’s a disappointment that it doesn’t seem to be coming on stream right now. But people continue to come. Even through it is a hard place to get to, we still get our fair share of people. People love the place and so they make their way,” Rymer told BVI News Online.

He reasoned that, even during the latest global economic recession, the local tourism product was not severely hit. “Throughout the years – the highs of economy around the world, and the years of the lows – the BVI has still gotten its fair share of tourists. And, with the economy better than it was back in 2008/2010, people are traveling again,” Rymer said.