Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1468083
B M & T ••• May/June 2022 ••• www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com 39 huge impact on not only Puerto Rico, but also smaller islands," he said. Additionally, the gov- ernor asserted Puerto Rico, because of its prox- imity to the USVI and its massive agricultural, pro- duction and shipping resources, can "single- handedly lower the cost of living in the Caribbean by establishing these food and service hubs in Puerto Rico, traveling out to our smaller islands". On the current state of the tourism sector Governor Bryan believes the Territory, with its var- ied resources, had pre- pared "in a way that bol- sters us against any surges in the pandemic". He added that the USVI was in the midst of a US$10 billion renovation of its infrastructure, including its ports and shoreline in Charlotte Amalie, revamping the city of Frederiksted on St. Croix, and enhancing its sports tourism facilities. Turning to the smallest of the U.S. Virgin Islands, the gov- ernor reported that St. John, with its natural beauty, was booming in terms of visitors relaxing in the beauty of the beaches and the National Park, which he pledged would be preserved forever. Governor Bryan lauded the support of the hospitality sec- tor during the pandemic which helped balance people's liveli- hoods as well as their health. The Territory's hard work to safely receive cruise ships, he reported, led to a newfound productive and collaborative relationship with the major cruise lines. The governor's open port approach also helped to strengthen a niche sector of the tourism industry – marine tourism: "I allowed all of the U.S. flagged boats to return to the Virgin islands when Puerto Rico and other ports said no. And, we kept seeing more and more vessels every single day and when the pandemic set in really hard, they just stayed." Then charter boat companies from the British Virgin Islands and from other places sailed into USVI marinas. Among the incentives the Bryan Administration offered the private sector was legislation allowing hote- liers to use their room tax to revive and revamp their hotels as well as improvements or new hotel construction. Describing the incen- tive as "huge", the gov- ernor reported Marriott Frenchman's Reef on St. Thomas was expected to be operational by the end of the year, and plan- ning for the return of the formerly Wynd- ham-flagged Sugar Bay was underway. As for the pandemic's effect on tourism, he stated that by studying the numbers in other destinations, he knew a sharp Omicron spike would be followed by declining numbers in February. "And, that's what's happening and we are starting to see our tourism picking back up once again. And hopefully we're going to have a good February and the rest of the season." Governor Bryan, who met with U.S. lawmakers and senior officials in Washington, D.C. recently, voiced his gratitude for the support received from the U.S. Government: "When I look at my Caribbean neighbors, it's been such a blessing to be under the U.S. flag." Over the past 18 months, he said the USVI had received over a billion dollars "to take care of things like shoring up our hospitals, ventilators, immunizations, vaccinations, masks … you name it, we've gotten money to do it." Especially ben- eficial, he said, were resources going into the schools for the children. "So every schoolchild in the Virgin Islands now has a laptop and has access to the Internet and is able to connect to their teacher virtually. This is huge for us." The governor noted the percentage of residents vacci- nated was up to about 65 percent, "which isn't that high, but is extremely high for the Caribbean where people have been resistant." To overcome vaccination hesitancy in the Territory, the Government offered incentives, including US$100,000 raffled every week, and giving people checks for US$250.s Governor Bryan invited and encouraged Virgin Islanders living on the mainland United States and elsewhere to con- tribute their expertise gained from living abroad to help sup- port and strengthen the Territory through virtual interactions with government, businesses, individuals and community groups in the U.S. Virgin Islands. USVI Governor Albert Bryan Jr