VI's tourism recovery more than numbers; it's evidence of resurgence—Premier Wheatley
He was at the time providing a Territorial update, outlining the government's accomplishments during its second year in office.
Prefacing his position, he noted, “One of the highest priorities of a government is to ensure that its economy is in good health. The state of the economy affects all sectors—the viability of businesses, residents' ability to secure employment, the affordability of goods and services, and the government's ability to deliver on its obligations to the citizenry.”
To this end, he disclosed that 2024 was a landmark year for tourism, with visitor arrivals surpassing the one million mark, reaching their highest levels since the devastating hurricanes of 2017.
“Over the past year, the Virgin Islands tourism sector has achieved an impressive milestone. In 2024, we welcomed more than one million tourist visitors—1,092,139 to be precise—marking a substantial 9.8% increase compared to 2023,” the Premier announced.
Qualitative leap
Referencing official data sourced from the Central Statistics Office, he said, this surge represents not just a numerical victory, but a qualitative leap in all categories of tourism. “This impressive growth was witnessed across all visitor categories, demonstrating the broad appeal of our islands and the immense efforts we have invested in this crucial sector. “
According to the Premier, the increase was led by unprecedented numbers in both cruise ship passengers and day-trippers, with the territory recording 768,293 cruise passengers and 17,970 day-trippers in 2024. Meanwhile, overnight visitors soared by 16.7%, bringing the total to 305,876 guests.
“This remarkable recovery and growth are testament to the hard work, dedication and collaborative spirit of everyone involved in our tourism industry.”
According to Dr Wheatley, the strong performance in tourism offers crucial implications for employment, commerce, and government revenue since “the ability to sustain economic growth directly impacts our capacity to provide opportunities for our people and to fulfil the government's obligations”.
With this in mind, he posits, “This growth is more than numbers; it is evidence of the Virgin Islands’ resurgence, our ability to adapt and thrive, and the shared vision we hold for a prosperous and sustainable future.”
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6 Responses to “VI's tourism recovery more than numbers; it's evidence of resurgence—Premier Wheatley ”
The 700k plus cruise ship passengers actually made it off the ships. Those are people who should be counted. Basic common sense. So I will take that 700k in cruise ship visitors our Premier is putting out there with a grain of salt. Let’s count the people who actually came off the ships and to go a step further, actually spent money here thereby impacting the local economy. Let’s have the real figures!