by Brian Major
Last updated: 12:40 PM ET, Wed June 14, 2023
In another indicator of the Caribbean
destinations’ strong post-pandemic travel rebound, the U.S. Virgin Islands
(USVI)’s 2023 visitor arrivals generated “astonishing” hotel room occupancy tax
collections, a top tourism official said in legislative testimony this week.
The
USVI’s hotel room occupancy tax collections have totaled $45.6 million to date in
fiscal year 2023, driven by a 15 percent visitor arrivals increase, said Joseph
Boschulte, the USVI’s tourism commissioner.
The
territory has hosted nearly 295,000 airline passengers during
the period, Boschulte said during government budget hearings on July 13, with a
hotel occupancy rate of 75.2 percent.
In
a St. Thomas Source article, Boschulte said the USVI’s occupancy rate “exceeds
the regional average by two percent,” adding the hotel occupancy tax revenue during
the period was the “highest ever collected.” Boschulte called the total “astonishing.”
Bosculte
said the USVI became the “fastest-growing destination in the Americas”
in the years between 2019 and 2021 with a 35.2 percent increase in airline
departures.
The
territory’s strong first half is supported by data from travel research firm ForwardKeys. The U.S.V.I.’s
first quarter 2023 visitor arrivals increased 17 percent compared with the same
period in 2019 based on ticket booking data, the group said.
The
USVI’s 2023 arrivals increase leads the Caribbean region, the report adds. The territory
was among several Caribbean destinations that “increased their international
arrivals by savvy use of travel data to decipher topflight routes, airline
carriers and origin markets.”
The
same countries also notably “widened their flight networks and connections,”
the ForwardKeys report adds. The USVI’s positive 2023 tourism results follow a
similarly upbeat 2022, during which the destination reported “encouraging” visitor
arrivals growth, said Boschulte.
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