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VI welcomes inaugural call of Viking Sun

- Premier reaffirms Government's commitment to increasing more calls to territory
Premier Andrew A. Fahie (R1) said his Government will continue to work diligently to increase calls as the Viking Sun makes its first call to the Territory. Photo: Facebook/GIS
Premier Andrew A. Fahie presents a plaque on behalf of the Government and people of the Virgin Islands to the captain of the Viking Sun, Atle Knutsen. Photo: Facebook/GIS
Premier Andrew A. Fahie presents a plaque on behalf of the Government and people of the Virgin Islands to the captain of the Viking Sun, Atle Knutsen. Photo: Facebook/GIS
ROAD TOWN, Tortola, VI - As the Government of the Virgin Islands continues to push to address shortfalls in the local tourism industry, Premier and Minister of Finance, Hon Andrew A. Fahie (R1) on October 21, 2019, officially welcomed the Viking Sun cruise ship on its inaugural call to the Virgin Islands.

During a small ceremony at the Cyril B. Romney Tortola Pier Park, Premier Fahie presented a plaque on behalf of the Government and people of the Virgin Islands to the captain of the Viking Sun, Atle Knutsen, in commemoration of the ship’s first visit to the territory.

MV Viking Sun is a cruise ship operated by Viking Ocean Cruises. It has a passenger capacity of 930 and a crew of 480.

Its port of registry is Bergen, Norway.

According to the Government Information Service (GIS), Premier Fahie said, "his Government will continue to work diligently to increase calls to the territory via various cruise brands." 

This new call comes after the Premier at the July 31, 2019, Sixth Sitting of the First Session of the Fourth House of Assembly (HoA), said that his government has re-negotiated a number of increased cruise calls to the territory.

He said the developments came as a result of tireless efforts by his administration to address the projected shortfall in tourist passengers for the new season.

Solid Commitments 

“After 4 months of intense lobbying and dialogue with our international cruise partners, your new government was able to obtain solid commitments from at least two cruise lines for increased calls to the territory for the upcoming 2019/2020 cruise season,” Hon Fahie had told the HoA.

"I want to tell you that our government and domestic stakeholders such as the Tortola Pier Park and the BVI Ports Authority are burning the midnight oil to rescue our cruise industry and to generate the opportunities that our service providers such as the taxi operators and the restaurants look forward to," he said.

4 Responses to “VI welcomes inaugural call of Viking Sun”

  • up up (23/10/2019, 18:30) Like (8) Dislike (7) Reply
    VIP government on the move, congrats to Premier and his team.
    • Rabsatt (23/10/2019, 23:02) Like (7) Dislike (5) Reply
      My proud of Our Government.
    • Dr cool (24/10/2019, 04:59) Like (4) Dislike (2) Reply
      Tourists will always cruise but sometimes when they come they don’t have nothing to see we vote against the dolphins we too one sided the same thing when ndp was in there
  • Well Wisher (24/10/2019, 09:44) Like (7) Dislike (5) Reply
    Stop trying to fool the people who you think don't know any better. Your "intense" lobbying is not the reason for the recent arrivals. These arrangements were already in the pipeline and are now materializing. Cruise ships and airlines do not schedule stops on short notice. These are done years in advance. Anytime something good happens you take credit but can't get out of campaign mode still blaming the previous government for everything under the sun. When you assume the mantle you don't get to whine and complain and talk about what the other guys did. You were elected to fix the problems and that is what people want to see, not hear you whine all day long.


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