The British Virgin Islands has welcomed more than 36,000 persons into the territory since the reopening of its borders in December 2020, with over 77 percent being tourists.
This is according to Premier Andrew Fahie who is also the minister responsible for tourism, who gave the update during a media conference on Friday August 27.
He said the statistics derived from the BVI Gateway Portal, which showed that between December 1, 2020 and August 26, 2021, more than 36,200 persons had entered the BVI through the territory’s air and sea ports.
“This includes approximately 28,000 non-residents coming to our shores for vacation. These tourist arrivals have been bringing business to our hotels, guest houses and villas; providing work for our charter companies, taxi drivers and tour operators; patronizing our restaurants, bars and food vendors; contributing to economic activity across our various sectors; and generating revenue for the territory. However, we still have a lot to do,” Premier Fahie stated.
He added, “Even during the period of the COVID-19 spike, which started at the end of June, the numbers of arrivals have been encouraging. In July 2021, we welcomed over 6,800 visitors and so far for August we received over 2,000 tourists.”
Premier Fahie attributed the low numbers registered in August to the tourism industry’s traditional slow season, which often result in many charter companies and accommodation properties closing their bookings to perform preparations for the new tourist season, which begins in October.
Air and sea port staff thanked for rallying through COVID turmoil
The tourism minister also thanked the staff at the airport and the sea port for their continued dedication through the territory’s COVID-19 spike, which saw many of the staff being directly affected.
He said, “Several employees tested positive and had to be quarantined. Coworkers who were exposed to them also had to be quarantined as a precaution. But despite this, our air and sea port teams pulled together and ensured that our ports remained open. In so doing, our air and sea port teams kept the economy moving. We must commend them for their efforts for finding the right balance to achieve this.”
In the meantime, Premier Fahie said he anticipates a fruitful 2021-2022 tourist season once the COVID situation in the territory remains under control.
“With our COVID-19 numbers back down and more of our residents vaccinated, we are optimistic that the upcoming tourist season can be a healthy one given the appetite in the global tourism market and the increase in travel, which is happening in part due to the vaccination programmes in all countries. This is another reason for us to get more of our residents to become vaccinated,” he stated.