Premier's Message on Caribbean Tourism Day

~~Adz:Left~~ Roadtown, Tortola - Ladies, gentlemen and students, it gives me great pleasure to lead the Territory in joining our Caribbean counterparts in celebrating Caribbean Tourism Day.

The theme this year is Tourism––– Responding to the Challenge of Climate Change. I believe the focus on this subject is quite timely because climate change has the potential to affect our way of life, with its far-reaching consequences, especially for islands such as ours.

I have repeatedly called for us to learn more about climate change and I would use this opportunity to make yet another appeal for us to increase our knowledge on this subject. Climate change is a much talked about phenomenon today but do we really know what it is?

The experts predict that the temperature and sea level will rise significantly in many parts of the world and extreme weather conditions will occur with increasing frequency. We have to be extremely concerned because the BVI’s tourism industry relies heavily on our physical product. Therefore anything that threatens the Territory’s environment is also a threat to our vital tourism industry.

We realise the harm that climate change could cause and this is why climate change has been placed as a separate subject under the portfolio of the Minister for Natural Resources and Labour to take the necessary action to make us aware of the dangers and take the necessary preventative action.

I urge you my fellow residents of these beautiful Virgin Islands not to dismiss climate change as a distant concept but to recognise its relevance and potential impact on tourism. The tourism industry represents a major part of our livelihood here in the Virgin Islands and any significant climatic changes could negatively impact the industry upon which we rely so heavily for revenue.

Our beaches on Virgin Gorda, Peter Island, Tortola, Anegada, Jost Van Dyke or even Marina Cay can be excessively eroded by rising sea-levels which will also negatively impact our beachfront properties, making us less appealing to the millions of tourists who travel to the Caribbean every year. The natural coral reefs with which we have been so abundantly blessed and which visitors enjoy viewing on diving expeditions, could come under severe pressure. 

While the impact could be devastating, I am pleased to inform you that the Government has already adopted a pro-active approach by assessing the vulnerability and capacity of the tourism sector as it relates to climate change. A local multi-disciplinary team is conducting the Climate Change Vulnerability and Capacity Assessment (VCA) of the Virgin Islands Tourism Sector under the auspices of the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre.
 
The goal is to determine the resilience of the British Virgin Islands’ physical tourism product to withstand the impact of climate change and the ability of the sector to implement adaptation strategies. Another very important consideration is how to integrate adaptation strategies into the policy planning and decision making processes to ensure that we reduce our vulnerability.

Ladies, gentlemen and students, as we observe Caribbean Tourism Day, let us remember that from Anegada to Jost Van Dyke we can all help to make a difference.

Let us stand united in our response to the challenge of climate change as we protect the British Virgin Islands tourism industry, one of the main pillars of our thriving economy. Let us work to ensure the growth of our tourism industry as we pursue sustainable development. Let us preserve and protect the abundant natural inheritance of the Virgin Islands whilst serving the tourism and recreational needs of its users in a manner that allows future generations to enjoy the same privileges.

Thank you for listening and may we continue to get more knowledge about climate change.