Premier Andrew Fahie, who gave that indication while delivering his annual First District Report on Saturday, said the land in question will be transferred from the BVI Airports Authority to government.

He said the move is necessary, “so that we can develop those lands which will also provide additional income and opportunities for the territory.”

Unleashing the BVI’s potential

While the Premier did not divulge the extent of the plans for the area, he said: “We have to unleash the potential of the BVI we have to wake up the sleeping giant.”

“We must realign our national strategy with our natural resources and maximize our earnings from our efforts while of course protecting all of our resources for future generations. So you can see that this government is pregnant with ideas,” he added.

The Premier said while the territory’s tourism economy is working and hard and is “performing above expectations” to offset the drop in revenue from the financial services sector, “this is not enough”.

“We must diversify so we must cast a wider net,” said the Premier while delivering arguments in support of why Beef Island needs to be developed to create revenue-generation opportunities.