Many good points today. Time can be more important than money for at least some. The Villas and Boats keep getting larger and "higher end". New Markets. In today's world where many can work remote much of the time; there is a market for renters of a month or more. One option many renters of any length need is the ability to easily and reliably travel in and out mid trip at times to make critical meetings, deal with a crisis that suddenly appears, or simply a boss that suddenly demands ones presence. Those higher end, less price sensitive, need for flexibility travelers are bypassing the BVI today. A couple of EIS flights to US hubs a day fixes that. It also opens the doors to the person with a jet card for as little as 25 hours a year in their pocket to call a plane to come get them. Those FAA 135 aircraft that many employers use know cannot land at EIS today.

I use Aspen as a comparison again. Aspen has 200,000 air passengers a year and flight daily during the winter season with Delta, United, and more. Even with good mainline and discount carriers some still drive the 4 hours over the continental pass in and out of Aspen. Some to save a few dollars along with a long list of other personal reason. Certainly the ferry option will be here for a long time if not forever. What the ferries will look like and operate like will be a joint regulatory and subsidiarity effort between the governments of the BVI, USVI, and the likes of the US Coast Guard. American Eagle and the ATR's made the BVI what it is today. Real US Jet service will retain what the BVI has and improve the economy with the same or fewer visitors than the environment struggles to sustain today.

If I had a magic wand their would be a free clean ferry meeting passengers at STT with their bags checked through to their last dock in the BVI. Those boats would leave at leave and return at least every hour each day from 2 hours before the first flight and continue until 2 hours after the last flight. I would provide Little Dix like service using contractors for everyone with an airline ticket and reservation in the BVI. C&I would be painless near invisible for those arriving by air whether the plane landed at STT or EIS. Denmark is my favorite example there. Land in Denmark and there is clearly security. Unless you truly do not look like you belong there or a dog signals an issue no one slows the visitors down from the gate, to baggage claim, to the taxi.

My best crystal ball guess if the ferries ever improve it will only be once US Mainland Air-service is functional daily and directly between EIS and US Hubs.

Much of the land is occupied, the anchorages are full even overcrowded. The secret private banking business is at risk. The only way to improve, (maybe to just keep what they have), the standard of living for the BVI belongers for the next generation is to increase the amount spent by each visitor each day they are in the BVI. I do not think there is any disdain... well except for some of the cruise hordes. Reality is the BVI must set and path and is setting path to higher end, even much higher end visitors whether they like it or not. Little Dix just closed for 2 years to make the place higher end. Any idea what the renovation budget is for those 100 total rooms?