TPP businesses refute claims of ‘struggling’ amid seasonal lull

Various business operators at the Cyril B. Romney Tortola Pier Park have refuted suggestions from Eighth District Representative Marlon Penn that businesses are struggling because of an unusual lull at the Pier Park.

Penn recently suggested in the House of Assembly that there is a lack of activity at Pier Park, underscoring a broader issue of economic stagnation that has gripped the territory.

However, when BVI News visited the location on Thursday, August 1, to speak with members of the business community there, most refuted those claims, stating that the “dead silence” Penn referred to was a result of the occasional and expected lack of cruise ships in port.

“Like everything in the BVI, the Pier Park has its season,” one manager of a Pier Park business, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, explained. They clarified that their business was doing fine, especially when cruise ships are in port.

One employee at a restaurant noted that they receive customers daily because “everybody needs food,” so despite the lack of cruise ships, they still receive patronage from local consumers.

No big deal, some days are normally slower  

Another business mentioned that they are very aware of the traffic cruise ship tourists bring and that they understand their market. They added that some vendors don’t open every day since there are days with less traffic than others.

“Mondays and Tuesdays are typically slow days at the Pier Park,” one employee at the location told our news centre. It was even hinted, jokingly, that Penn may have visited on those two consecutive days and drew a conclusion.

To recall Penn’s statements, he criticised the government for returning $50 million to the treasury instead of investing it in the economy. “It’s telling now on the economy,” he said. “The businesses are feeling it… absolutely nothing is being done in the country, and the people are feeling it.” 

Penn also argued that the lack of government action has left businesses struggling to survive. He mentioned that some truck drivers have resorted to converting their vehicles into taxis because traditional business opportunities have dried up.

Many of the individuals interviewed by BVI News essentially said the same thing: this unusual quietness Penn referred to is simply seasonal and fairly common to the vendors at the Pier Park.

Currently, the BVI is hosting its annual emancipation festivities, and businesses have indicated that the Pier Park also tends to see less activity during this time because the attention typically shifts to the festival grounds where most of the festivities occur.

Penn highlights economic stagnation in TPP’s unusual quietness