Only when it’s dark enough you can see the stars - time to double down on our tourism industry

Tourism in the British Virgin Islands has always been synonymous and deeply intertwined with the opening of Little Dix Bay Resort, now Rosewood Little Dix Bay on Virgin Gorda, developed by Laurence Rockefeller in 1964. The tourism purists among us, unapologetically go even further and emphatically declare that the opening of the resort was the cornerstone of tourism in these islands. A cornerstone superseded only by the unparalleled natural beauty of the destination, which mesmerised Rockefeller in the first instance. I was reminded of the stature of this global Icon and Grande Dame of regional tourism, at a post Irma tourism promotion event for London’s leading luxury tour operators. In unison, as if on cue, it was made crystal clear that until Rosewood Little Dix Bay reopens, tourism in the BVI was also perceived as closed. It was not lost on our delegation, that we had much work to do as we feverishly pushed to assure the global travel and tourism sector that the destination was truly open for business.