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Repeat cruise visitors disappointed to see ‘tent city’ gone!
“We are very excited about it. The investment was worth it. We want to make sure the guests enjoy, our people benefit from it and tourism on a whole will grow in the BVI. Not only from cruise ship side but overnight visitors can come and enjoy,” Hon Vanterpool was quoted by a Government Information Service (GIS) press release as saying.
The milestone was celebrated with locals, business owners at the park and three ships carrying over six thousand passengers, the press release continued.
Disappointed tourists
However, not every visitor it seems are too thrilled about the landside development as, according to two repeat cruise visitors, it is nothing unique when compared to the other ports in the Caribbean.
In fact, the couple came off one of the cruise ships on Wednesday February 15, 2017 with the intention of visiting the vending area that was known as ‘tent city’.
“My wife and I were in Tortola about three or four years ago on the Norwegian Dawn and we were looking forward to coming back here because we really loved the little local bazar with the local business that sold from tables and in little tents, but it is all gone now and replaced with a bunch of shops that you can find in any other port in the Caribbean, very disappointing,” said one of the tourists.
The man’s wife shared similar sentiments.
“I am very sad. I only got off the ship to go into the little bazar. It is very upsetting and it is terrible what was done to the local people, it really is,” the female tourist stated.
Crafts Alive vendors sucking salt
It was in 2012 that the National Democratic Party (NDP) Government relocated vendors of ‘tent city’ on Wickham’s Cay I to the Crafts Alive Village to make way for buildings to house various businesses. The shopping centre on Tortola Pier Park consists of over 60 stores, including retail, service providers, commercial spaces and office spaces.
The relocated vendors have since been complaining that they are struggling to do business since tourists hardly come their way, due to their new location and tourists being unware of the Crafts Alive Village.
“Not one, not two but three large ships in here today and look in here, you can count on one hand the amount of tourists that come through here. What are we doing? All the attention is being put on the Pier Park and the booklets on the ships are for Main Street. What about Crafts Alive? How are we to survive?” Crafts Alive vendor Ms Irma Smith had asked on November 29, 2016.
It was expressed by others that it is time that the management spend more effort at promoting Crafts Alive with the energy and enthusiasm they do for the Tortola Pier Park. “Make it part of the package that the taxi buses come to this area and spend at least one hour of each run. In that way, even if the passengers never heard of Crafts Alive when the taxi buses bring them they will shop or just browse out of curiosity. Somebody needs to use some initiative here man. Main Street and the Pier Park killed Crafts Alive,” said another.
Most stall holders had said they were running at a loss as they were not getting sales but are made to honour their obligations of paying a rent to Government.
Meanwhile, Honourable Vanterpool stated on February 14, 2017 that Wickham’s Cay I will see more development this year as the Ministry of Communications and Works plans to extend the boardwalk from the pier park to the Queen Elizabeth II Park.
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42 Responses to “Repeat cruise visitors disappointed to see ‘tent city’ gone!”
torist like idea we is thurd world and don like devlapmant
Some of those tourist never travel the Caribbean in they life just to come off the ship to meet something that is unauthentic.
Add to that moving the Taxi Park to Opposite Pussers, so the tourists have to walk through the Pier Park and Craft Alive. A small scale Courtesy Cart (like at Airports) can assist disabled people get to the Taxi Park.
Those locals who are surviving are also service oriented. We need tailors, dry cleaners, book stores, drug stores, hardware stores on a smaller more accessible scale. Make it a working centre, not a tourist centre. Tourists resent that too. They don't like being targets and feeling manipulated.
Thank you, you took the words out of my mouth. I don't need to type anything else....
Tourists interested in hot sun and crafts could find that welcoming...
You ain't lying.