Not surprisingly, most of the tourists who disembarked from the 3,192-passenger cruise ship Ventura on Tuesday morning seemed to have one goal in mind: getting to a beach.
Their likely destination was also not a mystery. A 12-passenger van — with its driver calling, “To the beach, to the beach” out his window — slowly trolled the street, a blue “Cane Garden Bay” sign visible in his window.
But if the Ministry of Natural Resources and Labour has its way, many drivers will be changing their routes in the future, taking tourists to Brandywine Bay and other beaches as a way to alleviate crowding at Tortola’s most popular and developed beach.
During an October 2011 campaign rally, Dr. Kedrick Pickering, who is now the deputy premier and NRL minister, highlighted the development potential at Brandywine and Lambert Bay beach, which abuts a nearby resort that is in the final stages of emerging from bankruptcy.
At the time, Dr. Pickering called both locations “sleeping giants.” More than a year later, there are signs that those giants are stirring.
At a public meeting in East End this month, Dr. Pickering gave additional details about his government’s plans to develop the infrequently utilised beach at Brandywine, which could include the construction of an amphitheatre and the movement of the road to enlarge the beach.
“The government wants to develop Brandywine Bay Beach so that [it] becomes a major entertainment centre,” he said.
See the Feb. 28, 2013 edition for full coverage.
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