Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
USVI Department of Tourism defends $39 million FY2026 request as arrivals and airlift climb
Summary
Acting Tourism Commissioner Jennifer Matarangus King told senators Aug. 19 that the US Virgin Islands Department of Tourism seeks a $39 million FY2026 operating budget — unchanged from FY2025 — to sustain marketing, festivals and visitor‑experience staffing as airlift and cruise calls rise.
Acting Tourism Commissioner Jennifer Matarangus King told the Committee on Budget, Appropriations and Finance on Aug. 19 that the Department of Tourism is asking the 36th Legislature to approve a $39,000,000 operating budget for fiscal year 2026, the same total as FY2025.
King said the department’s top near‑term priorities are staffing key visitor‑experience positions, funding greeters at ports, and sustaining marketing that supports rising airlift and cruise calls. “The budget recommendation for FY 2026 is $39,000,000 directly mirroring our FY ’25 budget,” she said in testimony to the committee.
Why it matters: tourism is the territory’s largest economic driver; the department told senators 2026 airlift so far is projected to exceed 2024 and that both cruise and overnight arrivals have recovered, helping local hotels and small businesses. Commissioner‑nominee King said recent airline additions — American, JetBlue, Sun Country and Southwest routes — have raised seat capacity and…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
