Territory will be left behind without development plan - Wheatley
On the Speak Out BVI show aired on October 29, 2013 he argued that for some time, the territory’s development has been skewed with economic development being pushed to the detriment of the social and cultural aspects.
Noting that the chickens have come home to roost, he added, “We now find that we have made some significant advances and progress in terms of economic development but sadly our social and cultural development have been left behind.”
According to Wheatley this could all be overcome with a plan, even in the case of the territory’s cruise tourism industry. Issues surrounding the industry’s development, such as the capture of high end tourists, he stated, would have to be captured in a national development study.
“If we don’t do these things, we are forever going to be having these problems as to what kind of tourism we want, whether we should bring Carnival Lines in versus Disney versus Norwegian Line,” he said.
Wheatley said other territories in the Caribbean have already done this while others are in the process of doing this and noted that the BVI will get left behind unless it also engages in a national development plan.
Premier Dr The Hon. D. Orlando Smith previously announced the review of the territory’s tourism development plan and stated that all stakeholders would be involved in this process even as government was keen on the need to protect its golden goose. However, it remains unclear what steps, if any, have been taken in this regard.
“As we embark on our review of this plan, all stakeholders including our environmental organisations will be brought to the table to discuss our agenda going forward. Even as we seek new approaches to improve our accessibility to our visitors we are committed to doing so in a sustainable way. We are very conscious of our need to protect the golden goose that makes the BVI so attractive to visitors, and that is our environment,” Premier Smith had said.
According to the Premier, one of things his government has always been conscious of is the need for a sustainable approach to the economy and particularly to tourism. “Tortola is only 21 square miles but it is the largest of our islands. Our sister islands are tiny. To maintain the quality of our attractions we cannot afford to over-burden any one site and must be mindful that the carrying capacity of our beaches, our historical sites, and our national parks are not overwhelmed,” he stated.
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13 Responses to “Territory will be left behind without development plan - Wheatley”
U talking bout Claude Cline? Check the man's record he served in the civil service for yrs the same posts your croonies can't manage mind u, he left the territory for 10yrs & served in the US military & has been back ever since...U R a cancer tot he community b/c sense bothers u
What the man saying is common sense...I think your donkey is a j@ck@$$s