/Moderate rant warning/

Got an interesting call from a distressed oncologist the other day. It seems that for many years he and his wife have spent two weeks at Biras Creek. When it closed last year they tried Little Dix but now it is closed and he was looking for an alternative. This guy owns a house in Aspen and an apartment in the Left Bank in Paris. If he and his wife are not in the "more desirable" classification I don't know who would be.

The closest I could come up with as a resort on VG was BEYC. He asked where it was. I replied, "Right around the corner from Biras. You can see it from the Fat Virgin" "Where is that?"

It seems they have always flown into STT and taken a Helicopter to Biras Creek and NEVER left the property. I have noticed the same thing with people who stay at Little Dix. In conversation on flights down to STT I find that they have no idea of the various top notch restaurants on Virgin Gorda. These "more desirable" visitors may spend a lot more on their vacations but very little of it even makes it to the BVI. It went to Victor interenational, Rosewood Resorts or Mainsail Lodging. Most of what does make it to the BVI is used to provision directly from Ft. Lauderdale. Those two resorts do provide about 2% of the total BVI job base but that is about it for net ecomomic contribution.

In contrast, us "less desirable" visitors spend maybe $5K+ for a boat charter, rent locally owned villas from local agents, spend at least $100 a day for booze and food at local establishments, rent cars from local agencies and provision from locally owned perveyors. Together we provide about 60% of the job base. In addition, what we do spend changes hands a couple of times before it leaves the islands resulting in a multiplier effect.

With the current condition of the infrastructure and the general "island casual" level of hospitality service, there is every reason to expect that the "more desirable" visitors will continue to ensconce themselves in remote enclaves and super yachts that provision ouside the BVI contributuing little if anything other than arrival and departure fees to the BVI economy.

BTW, I think the oncologist is going to give Guana Island a try. Flying into STT and helicopter over as usual.

/End rant/