Mélange Travel & Lifestyle Magazine January 2018 | Page 167

BVI IS OPEN FOR
CRUISE BUSINESS
The First Cruise Ship Called on the BVI for the 2017/2018 Season
Tortola Pier Park was a hive of activity on December
6th and December 7th as the British Virgin Islands
received their first 2 official cruise ship calls of the
season with the visits of the Marella Discovery
and Marella Celebration, respectively. The
ships brought a combined total of about 2,800
passengers to the Territory.
A welcoming committee was on hand to greet and
provide information for cruise passengers as they
disembarked and entered the port facility. Many
of the visitors remarked that, although they were
aware that the BVI was impacted by the recent
hurricanes, they wanted to disembark to support
the local community. This was their way of helping
the community to recover. Visitors browsed the
25 or so retail outlets at the Tortola Pier Park which
enthusiastically received them. Additionally,
destination hosts from the BVI Tourist Board and
ambassadors from the BVI Ports Authority and
Tortola Pier Park provided information to the
guests on the sites and attractions that were open
for their enjoyment during their visit. Several of the
guests went to the Long Bay beach on Beef Island
and the Baths National Park on Virgin Gorda, which
recently reopened for the tourism season.
The ships were formally welcomed by a
Government delegation led by the Premier,
Honourable Dr. D. Orlando Smith, OBE and Minister
of Communications & Works, Honourable Mark
Vanterpool. The Government leader expressed
his appreciation for the calls by the sister ships to
the Territory as they would lead the way for the
larger ships to visit later in the season as more
sites and attractions reopen. In a brief welcome
ceremony aboard the Marella Discovery, the leader
assured the Captain and other ship officials that
the Territory would continue to rebuild for greater
sustainability and reaffirmed his Government’s
commitment to enhancing the BVI’s offerings to
cruise visitors.
While this is the first formal call to the Territory for
the cruise season and the first at the Tortola Pier
Park, the smaller luxury ship, the Sea Dream, made
a call on the sister islands of Jost Van Dyke and
Anegada on November 30th and December 1st
respectively.
Director of Tourism, Mrs. Sharon Flax-Brutus,
commenting on the calls noted, “It is exciting to
welcome the cruise business back to the Territory
and even more encouraging was the positive
feedback which we have received from visitors.
They stated their admiration for the resilience of
our residents and our commitment to rebuilding
our tourism industry and Territory. The guests were
only directed to the locations and establishments
that were open and had the facilities to safely host
them. We know that there is still a lot of work to
be done but this is ongoing and we expect more
places to be ready to welcome guests on the next
cruise ship calls to the Territory. The Tourist Board
continues to work along with our industry partners
and global agencies in communicating our
progress to the global tourism marketplace.”
www.bvitourism.com/bvistrong
www.bvitourism.com