Beautiful Virgin Islands

Thursday, Oct 30, 2025

Last-minute seaport decision will reflect poorly on BVI and its brand

Last-minute seaport decision will reflect poorly on BVI and its brand

The last-minute deferral of the reopening of the territory’s seaports to January 2021 came as no surprise to Opposition Leader Marlon Penn who said he believes the timing of the announcement will reflect poorly on the BVI as a destination and as a brand.

Penn made the comment while speaking to BVI News on Wednesday as he first acknowledged what he described as the ‘good work by the government and hard-working public servants’ to get the territory to this point.

However, he said the many discrepancies shown by the government through their decision-making is a clear indicator they have not gotten things right in many respects.

“It signals that we are not prepared and this damages our global image, which has taken a hit lately with many negative and damaging stories in the regional and international press and we must get our act together and improve our image,” Penn stated.

“It also provides further financial strain on already cash strapped businesses (charter companies, ferry operators, etcetera) as well as travellers who prepared for the December 8 opening to learn less than 12 hours before that plans have changed at the last minute,” he added.

Changes should not be made hours prior


Penn said it will be natural to experience some negative impacts from the decision, due to the direct effect it will have on the many tourists who have already paid their monies to travel to the BVI via ferry service from the neighbouring United States Virgin Islands (USVI).

“The reality is that many of our guests make their travel decisions based on cost and convenience, and this more-so during this COVID-19 era. Coupled with the fact that more than 75% of our guests travel through the USVI, we will see a huge impact on our arrival numbers especially because the period in question is our busiest time,” Penn said.

“Businesses and the travelling community needs some certainty to function, this requires planning on the part of government. Yes, we understand that there will be changes but these changes cannot come hours before the implementation of major decisions taken months earlier,” he further argued.

Confirms there is no real plan


The Opposition Leader said the chain of events confirms what he and other members of the Opposition have been stating over the last few months that the government does not have a comprehensive plan in place.

He said he believes if the government had heeded to the advice presented in the Opposition’s plan to open up the territory in the slower seasonal months of August or September, the government would be in a better position to make better and more informed decisions.

“It would have given us some time to stress-test our protocols and systems and make the necessary adjustments in a less demanding period versus opening in the heart of our tourist season where mistakes are more costly and harder to recover from,” he stated.

“After more than 10 months of dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, the government lacks a clear, comprehensive and cohesive plan to address the two legs of this pandemic — health and safety, and economics. So the hiccups and constant false-starts we are seeing now are not surprising and all stems from this administration’s lack of planning and kneejerk, reactionary, decision-making,” Penn stated.

Failure of workable plan may force a second stimulus


He further said the lack of a workable plan with the right equilibrium to both protect the lives of residents and livelihoods of local businesses — which he said now virtually on life support — may result in the government having to issue a second round of stimulus cheques.

“The livelihood of these persons is at stake and they can ill-afford these false starts. My support and concern particularly go out to the residents of the sister islands of Jost Van Dyke, Anegada and Virgin Gorda whose livelihoods are particularly wrapped up in tourism. Some of whom, based on this decision, would have lost employment for an entire year. A year without a paycheque and the ability to provide for themselves and their families,” the Opposition Leader stated.

“If the circumstances on the ground don’t improve, it would mean having to provide a second round of stimulus to keep these businesses, their employees and families afloat. If not, many of them will have to make the unfortunate decision to close their doors, which I hope it never has to come to,” he added.

The BVI officially reopened its borders to tourism on December 1, which allows tourists to travel into the territory only via the Terrance B Lettsome International Airport.

The seaport reopening has been delayed till January 21, 2021.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
UK and Vietnam Sign Landmark Migration Deal to Fast-Track Returns of Irregular Arrivals
UK Drug-Pricing Overhaul Essential for Life-Sciences Ambition, Says GSK Chief
Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie Temporarily Leave the UK Amid Their Parents’ Royal Fallout
UK Weighs Early End to Oil and Gas Windfall Tax as Reeves Seeks Investment Commitments
UK Retail Inflation Slows as Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since Spring
Next Raises Full-Year Profit Guidance After Strong Third-Quarter Performance
Reform UK’s Lee Anderson Admits to 'Gaming' Benefits System While Advocating Crackdown
United States and South Korea Conclude Major Trade Accord Worth $350 Billion
Hurricane Melissa Strikes Cuba After Devastating Jamaica With Record Winds
Vice President Vance to Headline Turning Point USA Campus Event at Ole Miss
U.S. Targets Maritime Narco-Routes While Border Pressure to Mexico Remains Limited
Bill Gates at 70: “I Have a Real Fear of Artificial Intelligence – and Also Regret”
Elon Musk Unveils Grokipedia: An AI-Driven Alternative to Wikipedia
Saudi Arabia Unveils Vision for First-Ever "Sky Stadium" Suspended Over Desert Floor
Amazon Announces 14 000 Corporate Job Cuts as AI Investment Accelerates
UK Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since March, Food Leads the Decline
London Stock Exchange Group ADR (LNSTY) Earns Zacks Rank #1 Upgrade on Rising Earnings Outlook
Soap legend Tony Adams, long-time star of Crossroads, dies at 84
Rachel Reeves Signals Tax Increases Ahead of November Budget Amid £20-50 Billion Fiscal Gap
NatWest Past Gains of 314% Spotlight Opportunity — But Some Key Risks Remain
UK Launches ‘Golden Age’ of Nuclear with £38 Billion Sizewell C Approval
UK Announces £1.08 Billion Budget for Offshore Wind Auction to Boost 2030 Capacity
UK Seeks Steel Alliance with EU and US to Counter China’s Over-Capacity
UK Struggles to Balance China as Both Strategic Threat and Valued Trading Partner
Argentina’s Markets Surge as Milei’s Party Secures Major Win
British Journalist Sami Hamdi Detained by U.S. Authorities After Visa Revocation Amid Israel-Gaza Commentary
King Charles Unveils UK’s First LGBT+ Armed Forces Memorial at National Memorial Arboretum
At ninety-two and re-elected: Paul Biya secures eighth term in Cameroon amid unrest
Racist Incidents Against UK Nurses Surge by 55%
UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves Cites Shared Concerns With Trump Administration as Foundation for Early US-UK Trade Deal
Essentra plc: A Closer Look at a UK ‘Penny Stock’ Opportunity Amid Market Weakness
U.S. and China Near Deal to Avert Rare-Earth Export Controls Ahead of Trump-Xi Summit
Justin time: Justin Herbert Shields Madison Beer with Impressive Reflex at Lakers Game
Russia’s President Putin Declares Burevestnik Nuclear Cruise Missile Ready for Deployment
Giuffre’s Memoir Alleges Maxwell Claimed Sexual Act with Clooney
House Republicans Move to Strip NYC Mayoral Front-Runner Zohran Mamdani of U.S. Citizenship
Record-High Spoiled Ballots Signal Voter Discontent in Ireland’s 2025 Presidential Election
Philippines’ Taal Volcano Erupts Overnight with 2.4 km Ash Plume
Albania’s Virtual AI 'Minister' Diella Set to 'Birth' Eighty-Three Digital Assistants for MPs
Tesla Unveils Vision for Optimus V3 as ‘Biggest Product of All Time’, Including Surgical Capabilities
Francis Ford Coppola Auctions Luxury Watches After Self-Financed Film Flop
Convicted Sex Offender Mistakenly Freed by UK Prison Service Arrested in London
United States and China Begin Constructive Trade Negotiations Ahead of Trump–Xi Summit
U.S. Treasury Sanctions Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro over Drug-Trafficking Allegations
Miss USA Crowns Nebraska’s Audrey Eckert Amid Leadership Overhaul
‘I Am Not Done’: Kamala Harris Signals Possible 2028 White House Run
NBA Faces Integrity Crisis After Mass Arrests in Gambling Scandal
Swift Heist at the Louvre Sees Eight French Crown Jewels Stolen in Under Seven Minutes
U.S. Halts Trade Talks with Canada After Ontario Ad Using Reagan Voice Triggers Diplomatic Fallout
Microsoft AI CEO: ‘We’re making an AI that you can trust your kids to use’ — but can Microsoft rebuild its own trust before fixing the industry’s?
×