Brandywine Bay Development to Diversify Tourism
The BVI Government plans a phased development at Brandywine Bay to broaden the territory’s tourism offerings and ease crowding at popular sites such as Cane Garden Bay and The Baths. The first phase would refurbish facilities, add a restaurant, and install beach kiosks and a boardwalk, with environmental restoration and land-boundary checks still under way.
Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley has announced a phased plan to develop Brandywine Bay as part of a wider effort to diversify the Virgin Islands’ tourism product and relieve pressure on overcrowded visitor hotspots. Addressing residents at a district meeting, the Premier said the territory enjoyed a “record year for tourism” in 2025 with about 1.2 million visitors, including more than 800,000 cruise passengers. “For our tourism product to not become degraded by having overcrowding in places like Cane Garden Bay, having overcrowding in places like the Baths, we have to be able to diversify the types of places that our cruise passengers can go,” he said.
Permanent Secretary Ronald Smith-Berkeley outlined the proposal and cautioned that some parcels originally thought to be government-owned are not, so boundary clarification is ongoing. He also raised environmental concerns about historical changes to the site, noting that ponds behind the beach were filled in and that those ponds play a key role trapping silt and protecting the bay. “Somebody in their wisdom started filling in the pond that’s in this area.
That’s generally a bad idea,” Smith-Berkeley said, adding that the pond likely needs to be reestablished to avoid damage to the beach. Planners envisage the first phase concentrating on low-impact improvements: refurbishing existing facilities, constructing a restaurant and installing roughly a dozen kiosks along the beach, similar in size to the 10-by-10 or 12-by-12 units at Pier Park, linked by a boardwalk.
The Permanent Secretary said that because the bay has extensive seagrass it is not primarily suited for swimming, but the vegetation helps retain sand and could encourage activities such as kayaking, snorkeling and other non-swimming water sports. Smith-Berkeley said the initial phase could be completed by the next tourist season “if all goes well,” but added that further meetings will be required to finalise costs and timelines, with more information expected in the coming weeks.
The initiative is intended to expand visitor options, create sustainable livelihoods for local vendors and protect natural assets while managing the implications of record arrivals. Residents can expect additional community consultations as planners resolve land ownership, environmental restoration needs and project financing before work begins.
Primary source: BVI News