Thank you for reading these and other important updates. Please remember to use the web link at the bottom to share with your teams.
COVID-19 Updates
Please click the links below to read our recent updates. Keep in mind that statistics are changing daily as we learn more, so some of the information from our updates may have changed. You can also visit
doh.vi.gov/covid19usvi for more information.
Click here to view the June 2020 Blue Flag International Newsletter.
Boolchand's has a new B2B division and wants to help hotels take care of their needs locally! Click the flyer above to expand for more details. Visit Boolchand's in Havensight or call 340-776-0302 for more information.
Hospitality Challenge from UNWTO Offers Scholarships
The CHTA Education Foundation in partnership with Sommet Education schools Les Roches, Ecole Ducasse and Glion, presents an exciting new opportunity for Caribbean hotel professionals. The World Tourism Organization and Sommet Education have partnered to present an innovative Hospitality Challenge which will grant 30 scholarships for world class education programs. The initiative has been developed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has brought tourism to a standstill. Now, as the sector restarts, this competition is designed to identify ideas and individuals capable of accelerating recovery while promoting inclusiveness and sustainability in the sector to invent the hospitality of tomorrow. The worldwide competition is open now until the end of August. Read more.
Everybody Profits from Nonprofit Tourism Bodies
The nonprofit tourism associations of the Caribbean are integral to the region’s recovery and to the sustained profitability of the tourism and hospitality sector. And, during these difficult Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) times it is even more important to support these vital development-driver institutions if we are to emerge from the pandemic more quickly and in the best economic shape. Moving beyond this pandemic well-prepared for the new realities of global tourism requires governments to collaborate closely with the private sector, speaking with one voice through their national associations and the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) on hurdling the barriers lining the path back to profitability. Read more.
VIPA's Red Hook Parking Garage Hourly Parking Starts July 27
The Virgin Islands Port Authority (VIPA) has completed the installation of its parking lot equipment in the parking garage at the Urman V. Fredricks Marine Terminal in Red Hook, St. Thomas. The parking garage at the UVF Terminal is open from 5:30 a.m. until 10:30 p.m. daily. VIPA will implement its hourly parking rate schedule effective July 27. Read more.
The Virgin Islands Celebrates the 30th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
The Virgin Islands ADA Anniversary Committee will be celebrating the landmark civil rights legislation in a series of virtual events open to the public for the month of July 2020. Events include special programming on WTJX with free screenings of independent films “Intelligent Lives” and “Including Samuel;” three webinars co-hosted with the USVI EDA, VISBDC, and DRCVI; a commemorative celebration that will be broadcast on WTJX on July 26; special guests on local radio shows; and a social media campaign highlighting disability rights advocates and members of the VI community with disabilities. Read more.
CFVI Seeks Applicants for Grants to Support USVI Renewal
The CFVI Friends and Family Fund for USVI Renewal (FNF) was established in September 2017 with donations from CFVI’s family, friends, existing fund donors, Angels, and other partners. This fund is directed by CFVI’s Board of Directors to focus on immediate grassroots needs in the community and support long-term solutions in some of the foundation’s main areas of focus: early childhood, youth development, the environment, vulnerable individuals and families, and health/wellbeing. CFVI welcomes proposals for projects/programs that will support ongoing recovery, revitalization and building forward efforts to enhance the wellbeing of residents and ecosystems across the U.S. Virgin Islands. Read more.
Beach Clean-Up & Donations Rather than Fishing Mark Northside Sportfishing Club's Bastille Day Commemoration
Sunday, July 12 would have marked the 32nd Bastille Day Kingfish Tournament, hosted by the Northside Sportfishing Club. While this year’s tournament was canceled due to territory-wide safety mandates due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the virus didn’t stop the Club from continuing its rich tradition and founding mission of giving back to the community. A dozen club members, including tournament organizers and volunteers, undertook a socially-distanced clean-up of Hull Bay beach, which included planting several sea grape and maho trees. At the clean-up’s conclusion, the Club handed out cash donations to community organizations and scholarship recipients. Read more.
Bryan Williams' Tip: Two of the Most Important Phrases in Service Excellence
Two of the most important phrases in service excellence are, “I don’t know” and “Let me find out.” As opposite as they may be, both phrases speak volumes about the service culture on a team. One wreaks of indifference and apathy, while the other expresses ownership and initiative. One of the words, has absolutely no business on a team where service is supposed to be paramount. The other should be the minimum standard that EVERYONE is held accountable to. Read more.
