in the all messages / By: BVI News on April 21, 2021 at 8:50 am /

The BVI made an estimated $ 112,488,463 from tourism last year when the area experienced an economic deadlock due to an outbreak of the COVID-19 virus.

This estimated income shows how much the industry has suffered, especially when compared to the estimated $ 389,912, $ 630.06 made from tourism in 2019, and the estimated $ 232,510,640.10 made in 2018.

The above revenue from last year only accounts for 29 percent of total tourism revenue for 2019.

Prime Minister Andrew Fahie said at the House of Assembly on Tuesday April 20 that the estimated annual revenues show what has been made in all areas of the tourism industry including hotels, charter boats, rental accommodation, own accommodation, overnight guests, cruise goers and day trippers etc.

The Prime Minister also provided detailed statistics on the number of visitors who stopped at the BVI in the past three years.

The numbers give another insight into the impact COVID-19 is having on the local tourism industry. Last year the BVI received only 34 percent of the visitors from the previous year.
The figures compiled by the BVI’s Central Statistical Office are listed below:

2018 – 757,015 visitors
2019 – 894,991 visitors
2020 – 305,371 visitors

When COVID-19 reached the area in March 2020, the BVI closed its borders to international traffic for most of the year and reopened its main airport on December 8th.

Visitors have since invaded the area, but tourism has not been able to fully recover as the seaports, which account for most of the BVI’s annual visitors, remained closed for an additional three months.

Elected leaders and industry players have estimated that it will take the BVI’s tourism industry a full year to show signs of a full recovery.

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