Approximately 70 percent of the almost 21,000 persons who reportedly entered the British Virgin Islands since the territory reopened its borders to tourism in December 2020, have been tourists.
Premier Andrew Fahie who is the Minister for Tourism revealed those statistics on Tuesday June 15, during a live tourism update on social media.
The premier stated that the territory since December has received more than 20,500 persons and revealed that he expects the number to continue to grow daily.
“At the Road Town Ferry Dock, which began receiving persons entering via the ferries from St Thomas on 15th April, 2021, approximately 5,000 arrivals were recorded in total. For the first 8 days of June alone more than 1,600 arriving passengers were received in total,” he stated.
He added, “The vast majority of these persons were tourists, and their arrival would have translated into economic opportunities for our taxi drivers, tour operators, charter companies, hotels and accommodations, restaurants, and our economy as a whole. And may I point out that for the entire month of May, arrivals at the sea port totaled just over 2,500 persons.”
Upward of 80% tourist in the last 3-months at airport
Premier Fahie also updated the public on the latest arrival statistics at the Beef Island airport, stating that within the last three months, 80 percent of all arriving passengers at the airport have been tourists.
He said, “I am pleased to say that the Terrance B. Lettsome International Airport has been receiving visitors since the beginning of December 2020. From December 2020 to May 2021, an average of 2,400 arrivals were recorded at the airport on a monthly basis. Total arrivals in May 2021 were 3,012 persons. But, for the first 8 days of June, 1,225 arriving passengers have been received already at the airport.”
“This means that of the 15,460-plus persons who entered the BVI via the airport since December 2020, more than 11,500 of them were tourists – and for the first 8 days of June alone, about 1,000 tourists would have come into the BVI,” the premier further explained.
Increasing numbers due to measures taken by government
Premier Fahie attributed the increase of arrivals to the measures his government has taken over the last few months which has seen a gradual easing of the conditions for entry into the territory.
These include the reduced fee on the BVIGateWay application and the reduction in quarantine time for fully vaccinated persons.
As of June 15, 2021, fully vaccinated persons no longer have to quarantine in the BVI, once presenting a negative COVID-19 PCR or Rapid Antigen test on arrival and a valid proof of their vaccination status.