Wheatley Defends $220K Kartel Spend
Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley has defended the Territory’s $220,000 sponsorship of a Vybz Kartel concert, saying other destinations paid more than $1 million to secure the artiste. Critics continue to call for an independent economic impact assessment to show whether the event delivered promised returns to the Virgin Islands economy.
Premier Dr Natalio Wheatley has mounted a fresh defence of the government’s $220,000 sponsorship of a Vybz Kartel concert, saying the figure was modest compared with payments by other jurisdictions. Speaking on the Too Inquisitive podcast with Lawrence ‘Bunchie’ Kirton-Wheatley, the Premier said some destinations spent about $1.1 million to $1.2 million to host the Jamaican dancehall entertainer and argued the BVI got value for money. “So I gave a sponsorship of $220,000 for Vybz Kartel.
But other places spent about $1.1, $1.2 million for Vybz Kartel. And that’s because they saw the value that he brought to their society and their economy,” the Premier said on the podcast. The government first announced the sponsorship in October 2024. After the concert in March 2025, Dr Wheatley declared the event a success, pointing to increases in hotel bookings, rental-car demand, vendor sales and visitor arrivals.
He has framed entertainment tourism as part of the Territory’s broader economic strategy and defended the use of unspent budget allocations to fund such events, saying the problem in the BVI is not money but time to complete projects. Despite those claims, no comprehensive economic impact assessment from the government has been published.
Residents and critics — including opposition politicians, some religious groups and members of the public — say they have not seen independently verified figures on visitor numbers, government revenue, visitor spending or the overall return on the public investment. Similar concerns were raised when the government funded other entertainment initiatives, including the VI Music Festival.
Calls for transparency have intensified as critics argue public funds might better address infrastructure, roads and other pressing needs. Dr Wheatley has likened the strategy to established international events such as Toronto’s Caribana and said future assessments would demonstrate benefits from major entertainment bookings.
He reiterated that attracting “a global icon” requires significant outlay but contended the short-term costs are offset by broader economic activity. For BVI residents, the debate highlights competing priorities: using limited public funds to boost tourism and immediate business activity through high-profile events, versus directing resources to long-term infrastructure and services.
Many say an independent, detailed economic impact study would help settle whether the sponsorships have met their stated goals.
Primary source: BVI News