Nov 25, 2025 | Island News
According to Travel + Leisure, St. Croix, with it’s its convenient access from the United States mainland, pristine white-sand beaches to a buzz-worthy culinary scene, seems to fly under the radar. They created “tried-and-true” suggestions after speaking to locals and the St Croix Tourism board.
Key points as listed from the article:
Read the full article here.
Nov 25, 2025 | Island News
We are excited to see the VIPA Board has approved millions in airport upgrades and coastal protection work In St Croix Source’s recent article (read it here),
The article reports that on St. Croix, the VIPA board approved work for airfield maintenance, removing rubber buildup and refreshing runway markings at Henry E. Rohlsen Airport, to ensure continued safe operations. For St. Thomas, the board authorized funding for the final design of a new Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting (ARFF) station at Cyril E. King Airport. This approval allows the project to move forward to detailed design and engineering so construction can proceed. In addition, the board approved a contract for professional services to complete an environmental assessment and prepare a design-build package for shoreline stabilization at Cyril E. King Airport.
What caught our eye was the reporting from Preston Beyer, director of engineering, in regards to significant capital commitments for the region! St. Thomas–St. John District has obligated under active construction projects is $96,473,727.97 and the total cost the Engineering Department in the St. Croix District has obligated under active construction projects is $44,595,111.01.
VIPA also shared that tourism infrastructure remains a key focus and mentioned an introductory meeting with Seaborne Airlines as the “beginning of a collaborative relationship to support air service operations and strengthen connectivity for the Virgin Islands.” Seaborne Airlines was bought over this year and the new owners has been rebuilding its fleet and its reputation, starting with a new Twin Otter aircraft and plans to add more, what company President and CEO Darrell Richardson called “a resurrection” of the Virgin Islands’ only seaplane carrier. To read the article about Seabourne’s ‘resurrection’ under new owner and prioritizing expanded services, check out the US Daily News article here.
Jun 19, 2025 | Island News
As we reach the reach the half year mark, the U.S. Virgin Islands Tourism Department is reporting strong performance across key sectors — including airlift, cruise arrivals, accommodations, cultural events, and global visibility — as the territory continues to establish itself as one of the Caribbean’s most dynamic destinations according to the St. Croix Source.
2024 was a record-breaking year in tourism for the USVI and we are excited! 2025 is showing strong mid-year results with increases in air travelers, cruise passenger arrivals and more. For example, the Source reported that air service to the territory continues to expand, with daily nonstop flights now operating between Dallas and St. Thomas. St. Croix will receive new nonstop flights from Chicago later this year. The new American Airlines service from Chicago O’Hare International Airport is scheduled to begin December 6 and will operate on Saturdays, bringing travelers from the midwest to Henry E. Rohlsen Airport (STX) on St. Croix.
Read more on St Croix Source here and on Travel Pulse here.
Jan 28, 2025 | Island News
Fantastic tourism news! The VI Consortium shared the USVI had a record-breaking 2024, including over 932,000 air arrivals, a 9.8% rise in cruise passengers, and accolades like the world’s best beach. The V.I. Department of Tourism announced that the U.S. Virgin Islands has reached new milestones in tourism, with record-breaking passenger arrivals reflecting the growing popularity of St. Croix, St. Thomas, and St. John as premier Caribbean destinations. D.O.T. revealed that 2024 was a year of exponential growth for the territory, driven by innovative strategies, new airline routes, and strengthened cruise partnerships.
The territory also received multiple prestigious accolades in 2024, further solidifying its status as a top destination. These include:
- Best Caribbean Cruise Destination 2024 by Porthole Cruise and Travel Magazine
- Caribbean Culinary Destination (St. Croix) and Caribbean Yachting Destination of the Year by Caribbean Journal
- Top 10 Best Beach for Honeymoon Beach, St. John, by USA TODAY 10 Best Readers’ Choice Travel Awards
- Number 1 Best Beach in the World 2024 for Trunk Bay, St. John, by The World’s 50 Best Beaches
- Number 1 Domestic Trending Summer Destination for St. Thomas by Expedia 2024 Summer Outlook
- Experiential Marketing Bronze Award for the Caribbean Way of Sports & Lifestyle Tourism Integrated Campaign by HSMAI Adrian Awards
Read the complete article here.
Aug 7, 2024 | Island News
In this recent op-ed article in the VI Consortium, the USVI Hotel & Tourism Association (USVIHTA) expresses its full support of the plans for essential and long-needed improvements to the airport experience on St. Thomas and St. Croix and provided information on the private/public partnership plans. We find the statistics provided by this op-ed piece to be very interesting. It indicates that the Cyril E. King Airport (CEKA) in St Thomas was built to process 600,000 arriving and departing passengers a year. In 2022, more than 1.65 million passengers used the terminal. Although the numbers were down in 2023, arrivals of 285,150 passengers through April 2024 are 26.2% higher year over year. The CEKA terminal was last updated in 1989. We are glad to see the HERA domestic lounge enhancements in 2021, but the Henry E. Rohlsen Airport (STX) terminal has not been updated since 2000 according to the article.
Living on St. Croix, we have noticed an increased number of visitors. Tourism is an important part of the local economy and the redevelopment and modernization of the USVI’s airports are good news for the territory. The airports are a gateway for travelers, both tourists and residents alike. We are excited at the prospect of enhancements that will better the travel experience for everyone. We recommend you to read the full article here.
