The Virgin Islands may have reached its saturation point for cruise ships during the tourism high season, but it should work to attract more visits in the slower months, according …
February 3, 2025
January 30, 2025
After Atlantic crossing, Iona stops in VI
The Virgin Islands welcomed P&O cruise ship Iona last Thursday and Friday for the first time during her first Caribbean stop after crossing the Atlantic Ocean from the United Kingdom. …
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September 9, 2024
First-half tourism record driven by cruise ships
The first six months of 2024 set a tourism record, bringing the most visitor arrivals of any first half in Virgin Islands history and causing Premier Dr. Natalio “Sowande” Wheatley …
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May 24, 2024
Cruise executives promise more calls
Government has continued to embrace record-breaking cruise tourism numbers, giving cruise lines no “indication that they have reached their limit” in the territory, according to Communications and Works Minister Kye …
May 2, 2024
Six cruise passengers go missing in 49 days
In less than two months, at least six people from three separate cruises aboard the Norwegian Sky disembarked in the Virgin Islands and never returned to the ship. Government and …
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April 26, 2024
No cap on cruise visitors despite rapid rise
Cruise ship passenger arrivals are expected to hit a new record this year and then continue climbing, but no upper limit has been set, according to Communications and Works Minister …
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April 25, 2024
Government seeks pair of cruise tourists
Immigration officials are seeking two passengers who came to the territory aboard the Norwegian Sky cruise ship on Friday. Pascal Bosman of the Netherlands and Martire Cabrera of the Dominican …
January 30, 2024
As expected, cruise arrivals set record
As port officials had previously predicted, 2023 saw the arrival of a record number of cruise ship passengers in the territory, the BVI Ports Authority announced Monday. The number of …
January 7, 2022
New Covid surge brings 40th death
In recent weeks, the territory has seen the second-largest spike in Covid-19 cases since the beginning of the pandemic, with 958 active cases as of the government’s most recent Covid-19 …
October 15, 2021
Cruise ships return to Tortola
Stakeholders on Tortola rolled out the red carpet for cruise ship visitors this week for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic, touting the territory’s readiness to receive …
May 3, 2021
Cruise ships could home-port here soon
Cruise ships would be able to start and end their journeys in the Virgin Islands under a proposed law introduced recently in the House of Assembly as part of efforts …
August 19, 2019
Fahie touts cruise ship deals
After four months of “intense lobbying” with international cruise partners, Premier Andrew Fahie’s administration secured commitments to bring more than 64,000 additional cruise ship passengers into the territory for the …
May 18, 2018
Disney and Norwegian cruise ships to return later this year
Representatives from Disney and Norwegian cruise lines said the territory has made “remarkable” progress in its recovery from Hurricane Irma, and that they are still on track to return to …
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July 3, 2015
Gov’t to guarantee $15m loan for cruise pier landside works [ORDER PAPER]
Lawmakers will vote Monday on a loan guarantee for the BVI Ports Authority to complete construction on the cruise pier project’s landside development, according to the Order Paper outlining Monday’s …
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April 15, 2015
Cruise passenger likely went overboard near PR
Dominic William O’Carroll, a 67-year-old Irish citizen, is still missing after a search by the United States Coast Guard was called off on Tuesday afternoon.
October 8, 2014
Minister: 600k cruise ship tourists expected this season
On Oct. 23, the Norwegian Pearl will arrive in Road Town. It will be the first cruise ship of the 2014-2015 season, during which officials expect nearly 300 cruise ships …
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September 2, 2014
Cruise development under way [PHOTO GALLERY]
Most of the necessary land-side pilings have already been installed at the territory’s cruise pier development site, and the pilings needed for the pier itself are being installed beginning this …
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July 30, 2014
Premier touts cruise opportunities for businesses
The BVI Ports Authority’s $50 million plans to extend the cruise ship dock and provide extended facilities for passengers will serve as a “catalyst” and stir a “repositioning” of the …
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June 23, 2014
PAC blasts cruise tender process (FULL TEXT)
Though government’s failed cruise pier development deal with the consortium Tortola Ports Partners died about nine months ago, the opposition-led Public Accounts Committee delivered a scathing post-mortem report Friday alleging …
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June 4, 2014
$4.9m contract signed for land-side cruise works
The BVI Ports Authority signed a $4.9 million contract with Ports and Marina Services Ltd. on Friday afternoon for work on foundations of the land-side portions of the territory’s cruise …
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June 4, 2014
$4.9m contract signed for land-side cruise works
The BVI Ports Authority signed a $4.9 million contract with Ports and Marina Services Ltd. on Friday afternoon for work on foundations of the land-side portions of the territory’s cruise …
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May 9, 2014
Works officially start on cruise ship pier
Officials called it a red-letter day for the territory as they broke ground Thursday afternoon on the territory’s cruise ship pier expansion, but the “Mount Everest climb” is only half …
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April 23, 2014
PAC probe finds ‘red flags’ in cruise project
At a signing ceremony on Tuesday to ink a $30.7 million contract to extend the territory’s cruise ship pier, Premier Dr. Orlando Smith said he doesn’t mind the continued scrutiny …
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June 12, 2013
Cruise ship visits hit 10-year low
The numbers from the recent cruise ship season are in. And they aren’t good.
April 17, 2013
50 cruise passengers robbed at gunpoint in St. Lucia
A Friday robbery of more than 50 cruise ship passengers