I have sent the following letter to the editor to BVI News, BVI Beacon, and BVI Platinum this morning. I have also sent it to the Premiers Office, and to the BVI Tourist Board. The ferry situation must be fixed. Having read the article from June 10th on bvinews containing a statement from the Premier that, The ferries have improved their service, I looked forward to the opportunity to experience the improved BVI ferries when I flew out of St. Thomas on June 14th. . On the morning of the 14th of June, at 6:45 am, I called all three ferry companies to ascertain their schedules for the day. Road Town Fast Ferry said they had a boat leaving at 10am from Road Town, while Native Son and Smiths both claimed to have boats departing at 10am from West End. Since I live near the West End, I arrived at the West End ferry terminal at 9:15am in order to purchase my ticket and clear security in a timely manner. When I arrived to the terminal, I was told that Smiths was not running a ferry, so I purchased a ticket for the 10am Native Son boat instead. My experience deteriorated rapidly from there. The boat did not depart West End until 11:00am. Once in St. Thomas, we had to circle in Charlotte Amalie harbour until two other boats (the RT Fast Ferry and another Native Son boat that had left from Road Town) cleared immigration and customs. We finally disembarked around 12:45pm. Most of the 85 passengers on the boat, including me, had flights around 1:30pm or 2:00pm. Most of them missed their flights. Im sure many people living in the BVI can tell a similar story, and mine is far from the worst. However, I am writing today because of the experience I had after clearing customs in St. Thomas. I shared a taxi to the airport with a couple who were on honeymoon. They had spent a few days on St. John, and then a few days on Tortola. They said they thought the BVI was a great destination, and preferred it to St. John, but that after their experience with the ferries that day, they would never return to the BVI. Why would we return to the BVI, they asked, when we can get a similar experience on St. John, without the hassle of the unreliable BVI ferries? I work in management at a hotel on Tortola. To hear these words from our recent guests was crushing. This couple loved the BVI, and now the poor ferry service had lost their business for good. In line at security at the St. Thomas airport, I heard many similar complaints from other travellers who had shared my ferry. When other Caribbean islands, direct competitors to the BVI for tourism, can offer organized ferry service and easier transit routes, why should visitors choose to spend their tourism dollars in the BVI? The word of mouth is growing. Far more people than the 85 passengers on my ferry are aware of the problem. The ferries have been inconsistent and unreliable for well over a year. Travellers to the BVI are posting their bad experiences on TravelTalk Online, Tripadvisor Boards, and many other forums. People who want to come to the BVI for the great sailing or great beaches are discouraged and dissuaded, choosing other destinations because the BVI transit options are so unreliable or difficult. Tourism is one of the pillars on which the BVI economy is built. Tourism is vital to the continued growth and economic well-being of the Territory. Through their crony-ism, incompetence, and inactivity regarding the ferry service, the Government puts the livelihoods of BVIslanders and residents at risk. As a member of the tourism industry, and a resident of the BVI, I implore the government to rectify the ferry situation before it damages tourism to the BVI for good.
Posted on: Tue, 01 Jul 2014 12:49:29 +0000
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