Pushback Grows Over Exclusive Baths Proposal
Former legislator Shereen Flax-Charles has strongly rejected proposals to grant luxury cruise passengers exclusive access to The Baths on Virgin Gorda. She emphasized that while overcrowding must be addressed, public national landmarks should never be closed off to residents and regular visitors for the benefit of an elite few.
Former legislator Shereen Flax-Charles has voiced strong opposition to any plan that would grant wealthy visitors exclusive access to The Baths, insisting that overcrowding at the world-famous natural landmark must be resolved without locking out residents and ordinary travelers. Speaking at a recent marine industry forum, Flax-Charles acknowledged that overcrowding at the Virgin Gorda site has been an ongoing issue for years and agreed that traffic must be carefully managed.
However, she firmly warned that management strategies should never involve privatizing access for an elite group, stating that closing off the national park for a select few wealthy individuals should never happen. Her remarks come amid mounting public controversy surrounding a proposal by the National Parks Trust.
The Trust recently confirmed that it was in advanced negotiations with an unnamed international luxury cruise operator to grant exclusive access to The Baths and Devil's Bay for nine mornings during the peak tourism season. Under the arrangement, fewer than 150 cruise passengers would have sole access between 9 a.m. and noon, after which normal public access would resume.
The proposal has sparked significant public pushback across the Virgin Islands. Ninth District Representative Vincent Wheatley also firmly rejected the plan, declaring that restricting the premier natural attraction for the commercial benefit of a cruise line was simply not going to happen.
Concerns over congestion at The Baths have persisted for years. Findings from the territory's Tourism Summit report established the site's carrying capacity at 893 visitors at any given time, while Virgin Gorda residents have repeatedly raised concerns that massive spikes in cruise traffic continue to degrade the overall visitor experience and place strain on local infrastructure.
To address the issue sustainably, Flax-Charles recommended that authorities revisit existing carrying-capacity studies and actively work to distribute visitor numbers across traditionally slower months, including August, September, and early October, rather than concentrating high volumes entirely within peak winter periods.
She noted that spreading visits across the calendar would also help extend the tourism season. Additionally, Flax-Charles urged the government to significantly increase its financial support for the National Parks Trust. The Trust currently faces major financial hurdles, with its territory-wide park system requiring over $3 million annually to operate, while government subventions cover only about 28 percent of those operational costs.
Primary source: BVI News