BVI Signs Strategic Marketing Agreement with US Trade Group FCCA

The British Virgin Islands has signed a strategic partnership with marketing trade group Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA) to attract more cruise lines to the territory.

FCCA represents more than 90% of the worldwide cruise capacity. The contract, made public by FCCA on March 24, focuses on boosting cruise ship calls, attracting more cruise lines to the BVI, and sharing new revenue opportunities with local businesses.

The BVI joined the FCCA as a Presidential Partner in 2017 after the devastating Irma and Maria hurricanes damaged the territory’s infrastructure, including hotels, roadways and ports.

Kye Rymer, who was responsible for Communication and Works before the dissolution of the House of Assembly this month, said the territory was “excited to expand our partnership with the FCCA as strategic development destination partners. This collaboration will amplify our cruise tourism reach, improve, and develop the services and products we offer for our cruise guests and generate more opportunities for the people of the Virgin Islands in this sector.”

FCCA Chairman and Carnival Corporation Chairman Micky Arison added that the “new agreement shows the momentum that FCCA and destinations are having in working together to maximise cruise tourism’s benefits. The British Virgin Islands has been a long-standing partner of the industry, and I am thrilled that this agreement signifies the improvement of so many lives and livelihoods.”

The BVI is a popular Caribbean cruise destination with main island Tortola and sister islands Virgin Gorda and Jost Van Dyke top places for tourists.

In 2020, just three years after the hurricanes Irma and Maria, the tourism revenue in the Caribbean dramatically declined as a result of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

In the BVI, tourist arrivals fell from 894,991 visitors in 2019 to 305,356 visitors in 2020; and dropped further to 133,715 visitors in 2021.

But with strategic marketing measures, repairing of the damaged infrastructure, and the removal of international travel restrictions, the territory’s tourism sector saw a steady upward climb in 2022, moving from 28,224 visitors in August 2021 to 325,753 visitors.

Additionally, cruisers and day-trippers increased from 2,641 by the end of August 2021 to 204,330 for the same period in 2022, a 7,637 percent growth; while, overnighters, which stood at 27,604 by August 2021, reached 123,445 for the same period in 2022 – a 347 percent increase.

The FCCA Chairman stressed that the goals of the expanded agreement is to find “ways to convert cruise guests to land-based vacationers, increasing summer cruising to the destination, working in tandem with cruise agents and creating a destination service needs assessment that can pinpoint the BVI’s strengths as well as identify areas that need shoring up.”

Cruise ship passengers have spent a total of $9.8 million in the BVI during a single tourist season in the BVI.

The BVI Tourist Board is anticipating a solid 2022/2023 season with total arrivals of around 703,000, of which 59 percent or 411,000 visitors are expected to be cruise passengers and day-trippers, and the remaining 41 percent, about 292,000, would be overnight visitors.