Premier blames ‘negativity’ for BVI’s inclusion on Fodor’s ‘No List’

Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley has suggested that a combination of negative press and bad public feedback led to the British Virgin Islands being included on Fodor’s 2025 “No List,” which highlights destinations that travellers should avoid.

Speaking in the House of Assembly on Thursday, Dr Wheatley revealed that he personally contacted Fodor’s to understand why the BVI had made the list. “I spoke to the person at Fodor’s myself because I just could not understand their justification for putting the Virgin Islands on that list,” Wheatley said. “The gentleman essentially told me he listened to the House of Assembly and read the news stories published as a result, and he interviewed one or two individuals who were generally negative and perhaps don’t support this administration. That’s how he came to the conclusion that there was a problem,” he explained.

While not naming names, the Premier alluded to a reporter who formerly worked at a local newspaper, who he said may have influenced the decision. He described her as “particularly negative” during her time in the territory. “She’s now working for Fodor’s, and I don’t know why she has this view of the Virgin Islands, but she does,” Wheatley remarked. “This lady is so negative.”