Walwyn-linked Pub Benefitted From Uber Soca
Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley says The Pub, a business linked to Opposition Leader Myron Walwyn, advertised at and profited from the recent Uber Soca Cruise, contradicting Walwyn’s criticism of government support for the event. Dr Wheatley defended cruise-linked tourism as an important, inclusive revenue source for small vendors and flagged upcoming infrastructure projects to spread benefits more widely in 2026.
Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley has publicly pointed out that The Pub, a business linked to Opposition Leader Myron Walwyn, participated in and benefitted from the recent Uber Soca Cruise — a claim he says undermines Walwyn’s criticism of government support for the event. Speaking in the House of Assembly, Dr Wheatley said he observed The Pub advertising during Uber Soca activities and questioned the Opposition Leader’s public dismissal of the cruise’s visitors as the “wrong demographic.” His comments drew laughter from members of the House as he challenged why opponents would profit from an event they publicly denigrate.
Walwyn had argued that public funds were used to accommodate the Uber Soca Cruise and suggested the demographic was not the ideal fit for the Virgin Islands. The Premier rejected that position as discriminatory and harmful to an inclusive approach to tourism development. Dr Wheatley told lawmakers he had been on the grounds behind the government administration building during the event and saw firsthand how local vendors experienced heavy demand. “Every single vendor there ran out of things,” he said, noting small operators rely on visitor traffic and are often excluded from the benefits of ultra-luxury tourism centred on private and exclusive resorts such as Mosquito Island, Necker Island, Belmont and Oil Nut Bay.
The Premier argued cruise visitors — including niche products like Uber Soca — play a vital role in introducing people to the BVI, many of whom return later as overnight guests. He also emphasised that many Uber Soca passengers are professionals from the Caribbean diaspora and the United States, one of the territory’s main markets. “My family members are some of them,” he said, adding that two of his sisters regularly attend Uber Soca cruises. “And you are telling me that their money is no good in the Virgin Islands?” Looking ahead, Dr Wheatley said the government will continue investing in cruise infrastructure in ways intended to benefit a broad cross-section of residents.
He highlighted planned 2026 projects such as the Brandywine Bay Project and the Harbour Project as means to diversify areas accessible to cruise visitors and spread economic opportunities beyond a few enclaves. “From a tourism standpoint, we will continue to build a tourism product that welcomes everyone,” the Premier concluded, “and ensures that more Virgin Islanders can benefit.”
Primary source: BVI News