Beautiful Virgin Islands

Wednesday, Aug 27, 2025

Premier wrong to blame tourists for booking ahead of protocols

Premier wrong to blame tourists for booking ahead of protocols

Opposition Leader Marlon Penn has said it is wrong for Premier Andrew Fahie to cast blame on tourists for pre-booking ahead of the announced travel protocols.

Following Monday night’s announcement of the protocols for tourists to enter the territory, hundreds of pre-booked guests had begun cancelling their trip to the British Virgin Islands.

At a subsequent media briefing on Tuesday, Premier Fahie indirectly cast blame on the tourists and tourism-based businesses, stating that it is difficult for his government to accept full responsibility for the growing number of pre-booking cancellations.

The Premier said he believes the majority of the bookings were made prior to the release of government’s travel protocols and said that should not have occurred.

That’s not how the system works!


Responding to questions posed by reporters at an Opposition media briefing on Wednesday, Penn called out the Premier for his statement and said the tourists followed the course of action that they have been taking over the years.

“You have our Premier blaming our guests, our long-term guests who’ve come to the BVI for 20-30 years. Some of them have come here from they were kids — repeat visitors who want to continue to contribute to our economy, and he’s blaming them [saying]: ‘well, you should’ve waited until I put out the protocols’. But that’s not how the industry works,” Penn argued.

He added: “People book for the Christmas season a whole year in advance cause it is the busiest season, it is the toughest time to get a booking, so they put their booking down a year in advance.”

The BVI value tourists’ contributions to the economy


Despite the comments made by the Premier, Penn assured all tourists that they will continue to be welcomed to the BVI’s shores and asked them to continue supporting the territory.

“I want to say to those people, you are welcome to the BVI. We value your business, we value the contribution that you continue to make to our economy year in, year out. We in the Opposition would never blame you for anything, cause you’re doing what you’ve done for years. We now have to meet them halfway,” he said.

Government had ample time to get the right balance


The Opposition Leader also said he believes the government had ample time to come up with balanced protocols that would allow for the safe reopening of the territory while attracting guests.

“This government had eight months to come up with a plan, a plan that could keep the balance of health and the livelihoods of our people. They’ve gone the other extreme …You put out protocols without consultation with the stakeholders, without the marine stakeholders, without the tourism stakeholders – an industry that represents over $600 million – and we saw the results. The results were a catastrophic cancellation process,” he argued.

Urge to ministers to stop enabling this behaviour


Penn further called on the other members of government to take a stance on behalf of the people of the territory who are against some of these decisions being made. He also urged the Premier to listen to the many concerns of the people.

“I want to say to the members of that government, stop enabling this behaviour. Step up on behalf of the people of this territory especially the representative for the sister islands. Your people are hurting, your people need support,” he said.

“I want to make an appeal to the government, listen, engage the stakeholders, engage the persons who have been in this industry 40-50 plus years, who’ve vested their lives, their family’s life savings to rebuild this industry … listen, Premier,” Penn added.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Spotify’s Strange Move: The Feature Nobody Asked For – Returns
Manhunt in Australia: Armed Anti-Government Suspect Kills Police Officers Sent to Arrest Him
China Launches World’s Most Powerful Neutrino Detector
How Beijing-Linked Networks Shape Elections in New York City
Ukrainian Refugee Iryna Zarutska Fled War To US, Stabbed To Death
Elon Musk Sues Apple and OpenAI Over Alleged App Store Monopoly
2 Australian Police Shot Dead In Encounter In Rural Victoria State
Vietnam Evacuates Hundreds of Thousands as Typhoon Kajiki Strikes; China’s Sanya Shuts Down
UK Government Delays Decision on China’s Proposed London Embassy Amid Concerns Over Redacted Plans
A 150-Year Tradition to Be Abolished? Uproar Over the Popular Central Park Attraction
A new faith called Robotheism claims artificial intelligence isn’t just smart but actually God itself
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner Purchases Third Property Amid Housing Tax Reforms Debate
HSBC Switzerland Ends Relationships with Over 1,000 Clients from Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Qatar, and Egypt
Sharia Law Made Legally Binding in Austria Despite Warnings Over 'Incompatible' Values
Italian Facebook Group Sharing Intimate Images Without Consent Shut Down Amid Police Investigation
Dutch Foreign Minister Resigns Amid Deadlock Over Israel Sanctions
Trump and Allies Send Messages of Support to Ukraine on Independence Day Amid Ongoing Conflict
China Reels as Telegram Chat Group Shares Hidden-Camera Footage of Women and Children
Sam Nicoresti becomes first transgender comedian to win Edinburgh Comedy Award
Builders uncover historic human remains in Lancashire house renovation
Australia Wants to Tax Your Empty Bedrooms
MotoGP Cameraman Narrowly Avoids Pedro Acosta Crash at Hungarian Grand Prix
FBI Investigates John Bolton Over Classified Documents in High-Profile Raids
Report reveals OpenAI pitched national ChatGPT Plus subscription to UK ministers
Labour set to freeze income tax thresholds in long-term 'stealth' tax raid
Coca‑Cola explores sale of Costa coffee chain
Trial hears dog walker was chased and fatally stabbed by trio
Restaurateur resigns from government hospitality council over tax criticism
Spanish City funfair shut after serious ride injury
Suspected arson at Ilford restaurant leaves three in critical condition
Tottenham beat Manchester City to go top of Premier League
Bank holiday heatwave to hit 30°C before remnants of Hurricane Erin arrive
UK to deploy immigration advisers to West Africa to block fake visas
Nurse who raped woman continued working for a year despite police alert
Drought forces closures of England’s canal routes, canceling boat holidays
Sweet tooth scents: food-inspired perfumes surge as weight-loss drugs suppress appetites
Experts warn Britain dangerously reliant on imported food
Family of Notting Hill Carnival murder victim call event unmanageable
Bunkers, Billions and Apocalypse: The Secret Compounds of Zuckerberg and the Tech Giants
Ukraine Declares De Facto War on Hungary and Slovakia with Terror Drone Strikes on Their Gas Lifeline
Animated K-pop Musical ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Becomes Netflix’s Most-Watched Original Animated Film
New York Appeals Court Voids Nearly $500 Million Civil Fraud Penalty Against Trump While Upholding Fraud Liability
Elon Musk tweeted, “Europe is dying”
Far-Right Activist Convicted of Incitement Changes Gender and Demands: "Send Me to a Women’s Prison" | The Storm in Germany
Hungary Criticizes Ukraine: "Violating Our Sovereignty"
Will this be the first country to return to negative interest rates?
Child-free hotels spark controversy
North Korea is where this 95-year-old wants to die. South Korea won’t let him go. Is this our ally or a human rights enemy?
Hong Kong Launches Regulatory Regime and Trials for HKD-Backed Stablecoins
China rehearses September 3 Victory Day parade as imagery points to ‘loyal wingman’ FH-97 family presence
×