Hotel & Tourism Association supports VIPA’s partnership to improve territory’s airports

Dear Editor, The USVI Hotel & Tourism Association fully supports the plans for essential and long-needed improvements to the airport experience on St. Thomas and St. Croix.

The Cyril E. King Airport was built to process 600,000 arriving and departing passengers a year. In 2022, more than 1.65 million passengers used the terminal. Although the numbers were down in 2023, arrivals of 285,150 passengers through April 2024 are 26.2% higher year over year. The terminals have not been upgraded since 1989 (King Airport) and 2000 (Rohlsen Airport) except for the baggage claim area at the St. Thomas airport, renovated in 2014, and the Rohlsen Airport’s domestic lounge, remodeled in 2021.

As the gateway to the islands for tourists, the airports provide the first and last impression for our visitors. As the territory continues to see an increase in tourist arrivals, there is a critical need to reimagine and improve the airport experience.