BVI unprepared for tourism spike — Flax-Brutus

Former Director of the BVI Tourist Board, Sharon Flax-Brutus, has raised concerns about the territory’s ability to handle a growing influx of visitors due to inadequate infrastructure.

Speaking on the radio programme Speak Out BVI, Flax-Brutus highlighted the ongoing challenges the BVI faces in tourism planning and preparation, particularly as visitor numbers are expected to rise in the coming season. Flax-Brutus pointed out that while the BVI often boasts about its high visitor arrivals, there is a failure to address the needs that come with such growth.

“One of the major challenges that we have in tourism, and we’ve had it for a lot of years, is that we don’t plan enough,” she said. “We don’t consider all the factors. We tend to look at the pros but forget the cons.” Reflecting on her time as Director of Tourism in 2016, she recalled the concern over the territory’s infrastructure when visitor numbers approached a million. “Our infrastructure could not keep up,” she noted.