ROAD TOWN, Tortola, BVI — Former Director of Tourism Sharon Flax-Brutus is urging the Virgin Islands to rethink how it measures tourism success, arguing that the Territory must place greater emphasis on the economic value generated by overnight visitors rather than focusing primarily on cruise passenger volumes.
Speaking on the future of the tourism industry at the opening of the 2nd Annual Tourism Summit, Flax-Brutus said the national conversation should move beyond simply counting visitor arrivals and instead focus on the quality of tourism and the economic impact generated by each visitor.
“We need to shift our tourism arrivals conversation from volume to value,” Flax-Brutus stated.
Her comments come as the Government, led by Premier Dr. the Honourable Natalio Wheatley, continues to highlight record-breaking overall visitor arrivals driven largely by growth in the cruise tourism sector. The Premier has repeatedly pointed to strong cruise passenger numbers as evidence of the Territory’s tourism recovery and growth. In 2024, the Virgin Islands welcomed more than one million visitors for the first time since 2016, with cruise passengers accounting for more than 768,000 of those arrivals. Overnight visitors totaled 305,876.
While cruise tourism provides important business opportunities for taxi operators, tour providers, retailers and attractions, tourism experts have long argued that overnight guests generate significantly more economic activity by staying in hotels, villas, guesthouses and charter yachts, dining at local restaurants and spending money across multiple sectors of the economy.
The debate has gained renewed attention as the Territory continues investing heavily in tourism infrastructure, including plans to expand the Terrance B. Lettsome International Airport. Supporters of the airport expansion argue that increased airlift capacity is critical to attracting more stay-over visitors who contribute greater economic value per person than cruise passengers.
Tourism statistics illustrate the changing dynamics of the industry over the last decade. Government figures show that from January to July 2016, the Virgin Islands recorded 280,876 overnight visitors and 444,200 cruise passengers. Overnight visitors represented nearly 39 percent of all arrivals during that period.
By contrast, recent figures indicate that cruise tourism now dominates visitor arrivals. During the first half of 2025, the Territory recorded approximately 191,089 overnight visitors compared with more than 504,000 cruise passengers.
Premier Wheatley has consistently celebrated the growth in overall arrivals and cruise traffic, noting that tourism supports employment, entrepreneurship and government revenues. The Government’s 2026 Budget Address also highlighted record cruise arrivals and day-tripper growth, while noting that overnight visitor numbers had finally surpassed 300,000 annually for the first time since the devastation of Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017.
However, Flax-Brutus contends that the Territory must avoid becoming overly focused on passenger counts alone.
Industry analysts note that destinations such as the Cayman Islands, Anguilla and St. Lucia have increasingly targeted higher-spending overnight travelers as part of their tourism strategies, emphasizing hotel occupancy, visitor spending and length of stay rather than total arrivals.
For the Virgin Islands, the challenge may be finding the right balance between maintaining a healthy cruise sector while expanding air arrivals and overnight stays. As the Government advances airport expansion plans and tourism development initiatives, the debate over whether the Territory should prioritize visitor volume or visitor value is likely to intensify.
For Flax-Brutus, the answer is clear: the future success of the Virgin Islands tourism industry should not be measured solely by how many people arrive, but by how much value those visitors leave behind.