Tourism

Cruise Tourism Declines in USVI, But Air Travel is Expected to Bounce Back to Pre-Pandemic Levels in 2023, B.E.R. Projects

An increase in air arrivals in 2023 is expected to push tourism numbers in the U.S. Virgin Islands to near pre-Covid-19 figures, according to the V.I. Bureau of Economic Research. BER noted in its budget hearing on Tuesday that air arrivals can be expected to return to “normal levels” in 2023.  Although a specific projection was not provided, B.E.R. Director Allison DeGazon said the bureau expected five times more air passengers than those arriving on cruise ships, and the bureau has adjusted the expenditure budget to reflect it. B.E.R. has asked lawmakers to allow it to budget $1.1 billion for air expectancy and $103.8 million for cruise passengers, for a total of $1.286 billion. At end of the 2022 calendar year, the bureau expects that air arrivals will have contributed 827,284 tourists, which is approximately 89,000 more visitors than in 2021.  Meanwhile, cruise arrivals have seen a 69 percent decline from 1.4 million in 2019 to an estimated drop of 442,027 for 2022. A total of ...