Director of the National Parks Trust (NPT) of the Virgin Islands, Dr Cassandra P. Titley-O’Neal, has said The Baths and the other national parks are for sale. Photo: Facebook

There was a proposal to set aside The Baths and Devil’s Bay National Parks for the exclusive use of an international luxury cruise operator on selected mornings. Photo: Facebook/File

Ninth District Representative and Minister for Health and Social Development Hon Vincent O. Wheatley (R9) The Baths and Devil’s Bay 'must remain open and accessible' to public. Photo: Facebook/File

National Parks Trust of the Virgin Islands trustees, Shereen D. Flax-Charles and Lawrence Wheatley, have publicly distanced themselves from the proposal, saying they had 'absolutely no prior knowledge' of any plan to establish exclusive times, zones or periods of access for cruise lines or other private entities. Photo: Facebook/File

There has been public outcry over a proposal to set aside The Baths and Devil’s Bay National Parks for the exclusive use of an international luxury cruise operator on selected mornings. 

The trust said the proposal is a necessary response to surging visitor numbers and rising conservation costs. It reported that the Virgin Islands received 612,263 visitors in the first quarter of 2026, up about 24 per cent from the same period in 2025, with cruise passengers accounting for 493,397 of those arrivals.

However, NPT  trustees, Shereen D. Flax-Charles and Lawrence Wheatley, have publicly distanced themselves from the proposal, saying they had 'absolutely no prior knowledge' of any plan to establish exclusive times, zones or periods of access for cruise lines or other private entities.

District Nine Representative and Minister for Health and Social Services, Hon Vincent O. Wheatley (R9) said The Baths and Devil’s Bay 'must remain open and accessible' to the public.

None of our National Parks is for sale

In a video message posted to the National Parks Trust’s Facebook page on September 25, 2026, Dr Titley-O’Neal said it was necessary to provide the public “correct information” following the surfacing of “misinformation” on social media. 

“I’ve been asked, 'Is The Baths for sale? The answer is no; none of our national parks is for sale. They never have been, and they never will be.”

The role of the NPT, she explained, is to conserve and manage 22 national parks throughout the Virgin Islands (VI), some with cultural and historical significance 

“The Baths was acquired by eminent domain or compulsory acquisition by order of the House of Assembly back in 1987. The process was long; it was arduous, and at the end of the day the government acquired and purchased the property for the establishment of a national park.”

The Baths became a national park in 1990. 

NPT does more than manage National Parks

Dr Titley-O’Neal said the 22 national parks managed by the NPT is each unique and important to the people of the VI in their own way. 

“Besides managing and protecting and conserving these sites, the National Parks Trust is involved in research all throughout the territory, this is how we know so much more about the plants that are around us and their importance. Five of those sites are now historical sites, which we are hoping to develop.”

She encouraged members of the public to pay close attention to the NPT’s Facebook page for weekly updates on the work of the trust. 

“We’re going to invite you right back here sometime in the end of September, early October so that you can have an opportunity to come and hear and see of the work of the National Parks Trust that has been ongoing for the last 65 years.”

See links to related articles

Public outcry over proposed exclusive cruise access to The Baths & Devil’s Bay

The Baths & Devil’s Bay 'must remain open' to the public- Hon Vincent O. Wheatley 

'They are selling us out for a few pieces of gold or silver’- Shereen D. Flax-Charles