The Governor made the announcement during his November 14, 2019, "Speech from the Throne,' when the First Sitting of the Second Session of the Fourth House of Assembly (HoA) convened at the House of Assembly (HoA) Chambers in Road Town, Tortola.

AirBnB under the microscope

"On an immediate priority basis, our Government will give the tourism sector the attention and level of priority it deserves and focus on strengthening the accommodation sector, bringing new hotel investment, and supporting the marine sector," he said.

With that, Mr Jaspert said the government will place special focus on different pieces of tourism legislation to ensure that the Virgin Islands remain on the bleeding edge with Tourism being a strong pillar.

"Our Government will introduce the AirBnB Tax legislation and Yachting Aid legislation to ensure the development of the local tourism product. Tourism development also means investing in the infrastructure locally and recognising the Film Commission as a vibrant investment center that can boost revenue," Governor Jaspert said.

AirBnB allows property owners to lease their home spaces or accommodations to international travellers through a mobile application available on several platforms with the aim of allowing them to earn extra revenues.

Anti-Visitor Harassment

He said more regulation will come for the Tourism Act, "which will include, but not limited to the Anti Visitor Harassment and Solicitation legislation. The efforts will be buttressed with the National Tourism Strategic Plan to bring more legislative and regulatory structure to the Territory."

The structure he says, will include the establishment of stronger linkages and involvement of all sectors within the Territory to ensure “one tourism” mandate.

According to Governor Jaspert, the Government will further use those opportunities to improve the linkages between tourism and other productive sectors such as fishing, agriculture, and cultural heritage.