Tourist Board budget cuts spark competitiveness concerns

The government has been criticised over proposed cuts to the BVI Tourist Board’s budget, with warnings that reduced funding could weaken the territory’s ability to compete in a crowded regional tourism market.

Speaking during the House of Assembly debate on the 2026 Appropriation Bill, Opposition Leader Myron Walwyn said the Tourist Board’s subvention would fall from $10.25 million in 2025 to $9.7 million in 2026, a reduction he described as troubling at a time when rival destinations were increasing their tourism spending. He said the reduction followed a shift of some product development responsibilities to the Ministry of Tourism but argued that the overall allocation remained insufficient.

“The people in the tourist board are doing their best, but they have limited financial resources to work with,” Walwyn stated. He argued that operating expenses consumed a significant portion of the allocation, leaving only a small amount for marketing the destination. “You’re looking at somewhere around two or three million dollars to market the territory with, that we call a high-end destination,” he said.

Walwyn compared the BVI’s tourism funding with regional competitors, pointing to larger marketing budgets elsewhere. Antigua and Barbuda, he said, allocated about $22 million, while Dominica had increased its tourism budget to $13 million. He also referenced the US Virgin Islands, which he said spent more than $20 million on marketing alone. “And we’re going to give the tourist board a measly $2, $3 million to a market with these same people who are trying to get the same people that we have? Are we serious?” Walwyn asked.

He said the BVI targeted high-income, well-travelled visitors from North America, the United Kingdom and Canada. He argued that stronger investment in marketing and airlift was essential to grow overnight stays. “We need investment in tourism. We need to increase our overnight stays,” he said.

The opposition leader also raised concerns about the absence of a long-promised tourism plan and the delay in opening a tourism office in Canada, which he described as a key source market. “We’ve been asking for the tourism plan from the time the devil was a boy. Up to now, we can’t get it. Up to now, you can’t get the tourism plan. Every minute you hear it coming,” Walwyn stated.

Overall, the 2026 budget is the largest in the territory’s history, at more than $550 million. Government members have said the allocations reflect shifting priorities and ongoing capital investment, including airport expansion, which they argue will support long-term tourism growth.

Walwyn, however, said reduced funding for tourism marketing risked eroding the BVI’s competitive edge. “We have to stop and take stock and start to rebrand the country again,” he said, adding that stronger promotion was needed to protect the territory’s tourism-dependent economy.