The U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI) joined the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) as its 25th member country, said CTO officials. The USVI’s membership comes as “CTO seeks to refocus its mandate on shaping the Caribbean tourism sector of the future,” officials said in a statement.

“The relationship between the USVI and the CTO is not a new one, and [CTO] is confident the renewed partnership will result in several positive outcomes for both parties and the wider CTO membership,” CTO’s statement adds.

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Territory officials reported increased visitor arrivals in 2022 tourism results last year and are poised “to continue to effectively grow the tourism business” in 2023, said Joseph Boschulte, commissioner of tourism, during legislative testimony in 2022.

“CTO is a key economic driver in the Caribbean’s growth and sustainability, and we are honored the USVI is now a member,” said Boschulte in CTO’s statement.

“We saw encouraging growth in tourism in the USVI in 2022,” Boschulte continued. “We look forward to working with the CTO in 2023 to create mechanisms to ensure that growth continues for both the USVI and our Caribbean neighbors.”

“Having one of the fastest-growing travel destinations in our fraternity further strengthens [CTO],” said Kenneth Bryan, CTO’s chairman and Cayman Islands minister of tourism.

The USVI’s CTO membership also “enhances the spirit of collaboration and cohesion among our jurisdictions,” Bryan said. He added, “The USVI has joined a community that is committed to working together to sustainably grow and develop Caribbean tourism and we look forward to working with Commissioner Boshulte in this regard.”