In a recent Facebook post former education Minister and Attorney Myron Walwyn weighed in on the present economic situation in the BVI.
The Attorney cited two main reasons stating, “It is trite knowledge that Caribbean economies and indeed the BVI economy depend heavily on the tourism industry. There is no need at this point to stress the importance of this to the local economy. We should all be au fait with this fact. There are some things that are crucial to the maintenance of a stable tourism economy. We are having challenges with two of the most important elements – air access and crime.”
Lack of direct flights is unacceptable
Walwyn said, “While I am happy for Anguilla and Dominica, I feel a sense of grave disappointment that we have not been able to achieve direct flights from the US mainland to our shores. We need to put greater focus on this and expand our airport runaway. We may argue on how far it should be extended but one thing is certain the status quo cannot continue. If we are to remain competitive, visitors cannot be traveling for 10 to 12 hours to get to us. It’s unacceptable actually.”
Rising Crime
On the matter of crime, the attorney said, “Secondly, the issue of rising crime in the territory particularly gun related crime. A tourist comes to a country to recharge their energy and to seek peace and tranquility in a safe and secure environment. Nothing kills an economy faster than criminal activity. Let us get this matter under control. Let all of us who see something, say something and show our contempt for criminal conduct. Criminal elements in our society deteriorate the quality of life for all of us.”