Caribbean governments are forever talking about “diversifying the tourism product.”
Far fewer consistently do the hard work of investing in attractions that tell the real story of a place, looking beyond beaches to people, culture and history.
An exception can be found on Main Street in Road Town, where the H.M. Prison Museum stands as one of the best examples of the sort of attraction the Virgin Islands should be nurturing.
Housed within the walls of a former prison that operated for more than two centuries, the museum offers an authenticity that is still all too rare in modern tourism.
As visitors are guided through a dozen small cells, they encounter the territory’s social history from slavery and emancipation to community life, crime and punishment. They hear stories about how this small, close-knit society once functioned.
These are not abstract lessons pulled from a textbook. They are vivid, often unsettling stories brought to life by guides like Rosie Smith, whose personal memories and storytelling flair give the museum its soul.
This is precisely the kind of experience many tourists say they are seeking when they come to the VI. Increasingly, visitors want a chance to understand the place beyond the postcard.
The museum, of course, is also a crucial resource for young people and other residents, who deserve accessible spaces where local history is preserved, explained and debated.
Despite its value, however, the prison museum remains largely invisible. It sits within easy walking distance of the cruise ship pier, yet many visitors only discover it by accident while wandering Main Street with no idea that such a compelling attraction lies just a few steps away.
That is not a failure of the museum: It is a failure of investment and promotion — to say nothing of successive governments’ longstanding failure to make Main Street easily walkable.
Better signage, stronger marketing and modest upgrades would go a long way toward transforming the museum from a hidden gem into a must-see stop in Road Town.
These are hardly extravagant suggestions. They are basic, sensible investments in cultural infrastructure.
The problem, of course, is not limited to the prison museum.
Road Town has a handful of excellent heritage attractions — including the J.R. O’Neal Botanic Gardens and the Old Government House Museum — but despite the hard work of a handful of people passionate about the sites, all have suffered from similar issues over the years: underuse, underpromotion and the lack of a coordinated vision for the capital.
Opportunities abound, from breathing new life into existing sites to developing others — like the defunct 1780 Lower Estate Sugar Works Museum — into meaningful experiences for visitors and residents alike.
If the VI is serious about cultural tourism, the government must move beyond rhetoric. The prison museum shows what is possible. Now it needs sufficient backing to reach its full potential.
The VI’s stories are powerful. The territory must do a better job of telling them.