Turnbull tries again to get details on Premier’s tourism strategy
Second District Representative, Melvin ‘Mitch’ Turnbull will be taking a second attempt to get Premier Andrew Fahie to reveal the territory’s tourism strategy when the House of Assembly (HOA) gets underway today.
Previously, Turnbull’s attempts were met by a wall of standing orders (the rules that govern the HOA) from the Premier, after the leader of government business claimed that the information was confidential and opted not to disclose any of the territory’s plans publicly.
Responding to the question at the time, the Premier said: “To divulge the details of our marketing strategy would allow our competitors to know exactly what our plans are and thereby eroding our competitive advantage as the premier leading destination.”
At the time, Premier Fahie offered to disclose the government’s tourism strategy to Turnbull privately.
Last year, the BVI Tourist Board (BVITB) announced that it would hire a consultant who specializes in crisis management to reboot the tourism industry amid the (COVID-19) pandemic.
And following the reopening of the territory’s borders, the Fahie-led administration announced that mnore tha 7,000 visitors have graced the territory’s shores in recent months.
Additionally, Premier Fahie, who serves as the territory’s Finance and Tourism Minister, disclosed recently that his administration continues discussions behind the scenes for the BVI to enhance its airlift capacity and to increase accommodations in the territory.
Meanwhile, at the HOA sitting today, Turnbull is expected to ask the Premier when he intends to hold meetings with the stakeholders of the Second District on Tortola and Jost Van Dyke so they could be enlightened on the strategy, especially since being out of work for the greater part of 18 months.
Premier Fahie is also being asked to disclose when he intends to make funding available to prepare the territory, specifically the tourist destination areas such as the entire Second District for receiving guests through landscaping and infrastructural works.
According to the order paper for today’s sitting, the Second District Representative is also seeking to find out when the Premier plans to install street lights on the Windy Hill road which leads from Stoutt’s Lookout to Chalwell Estate.
Today’s House sitting begins at 10 am and will be held at the Save The Seed Energy Centre in Duffs Bottom.
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At Windy hill?
Unnecessary.
Street lights moo, moo, so to see better at night
The government had no plans ever for this country. Their only plan was to bad mouth and start rumors on the previous government to win the election. That’s it. They did not present any plans for the BVI during the campaign. Their manifesto was a cut and paste document that came out a few days before election.
How can we expect to ask people to produce plans for the various things in the country when we elected them without seeing their plans for our future? Where they going to get them from? We got what we voted for.
And now they hire people at our expense to do the work for them so we are paying twice.
Yup.
They had a plan to drain the swamp and they accomplished that part at least.
So give them a little credit.
Problem is – now we really need some intelligent strategy to deal with this ongoing pandemic. Gone are the days when we could allow a government to coast along, but old habits die hard.
Mitch is beating a dead horse because the VIP has no plan
Very good questions Mitch, although I am not a fan. Stay humble and do the people’s business and you will succeed.
it’s all the white racist fault/ ,hey CSC what happened , ? Where you at bro ? Nobody ain’t buying that fake fight with (covid ) WWE all know its with ( coi ) so don’t try that
Nope.literally no idea wtf you are trying to say.
I think we should call Fahie , Baldrick from now on.
Some will understand.
“BVI has a secret “ come and find out what it is answer it’s incredibly quiet. No tourists!
This is becoming tiring for us the people. Remember, the life you live is the energy you protect. You can not run a country based on a one man leadership style. A government that is divided within itself will fall, it is just a matter of time before hitting the ground. This is the first time i have ever heard a leader not having a plan, not wanting to show the people the direction of the country, do not want to take advice for industry and finally doing as he feels fit based on emotion. I have tried to listen but people today are not loyal to BVI, they loyal to looking and gaining acceptance even if the leader is doing shi****. It is time for the real Government to stand up.
40 % of our economy is Tourism. We have people in charge who do not know anything about Tourism and do not listen to anybody in the industry who could advise them. They want to hire consultants, I am wondering whether any of these will know anything about Tourism either. Does anybody in the Government actually know anything about how to run a business or a country? So our Tourism Plan is still a secret for month on end now, makes you wonder whether it exists. Scratch that we know it doesn’t exist. Why do we need to increase accommodations when we can’t even fill the existing hotels, villa’s and yachts?
Tourism is the oxygen of BVI economy, and the Andrew Fahie Virgin Islands Party government does not have a Tourism Strategy plan for this country. What a lackluster Leadership. Smfh. My fellow Virgin Islanders we must get rid of this Backward Ever government.