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Thursday, March 28, 2024
HomeNewsArchivesPOLL: TOURISM NEEDS BETTER AIRLIFT, ATTITUDES

POLL: TOURISM NEEDS BETTER AIRLIFT, ATTITUDES

If there is one thing Source readers agree on, it sure isn't what's wrong with V.I. tourism.
Our latest poll brought a wide array of responses, with the largest number, 2 out of 5 respondents, citing high airfares and not enough flights to the territory. Slightly more than 1 in 4 felt that negative attitudes about tourists were mostly to blame.
Responses were roughly similar across islands with a couple of exceptions. On St. John, nearly 15 percent of respondents – 5 times that of St. Thomas and St. Croix — felt enough was enough and more tourists are not needed, suggesting, perhaps, a heightened sensitivity to human impact from those closest to the V.I. National Park.
Yet that result seems consistent with St. John's other anomaly in the poll: More than 1 in 3 felt negative attitudes about tourists were a problem, far more than respondents from other islands.
Question: What is the greatest obstacle to increasing V.I. tourism?
1. Inadequate infrastructure (traffic, safety, etc.).
STT (32) STX (24) STJ (2) ; Total (58), 11.1 percent of all respondents.
2. Deterioration of the natural environment.
STT (13) STX (5) STJ (0) ; Total (18), 3.5 percent of all respondents.
3. Negative attitudes about tourists.
STT (75) STX (44) STJ (12) ; Total (131), 25.2 percent of all respondents.
4. Lack of funds for marketing/promotion.
STT (44) STX (33) STJ (4) ; Total (81), 15.6 percent of all respondents.
5. High airfares/not enough flights.
STT (110) STX (92) STJ (11) ; Total (213), 41 percent of all respondents.
6. Tourism should not be increased.
STT (13) STX (1) STJ (5) ; Total (19), 3.6 percent of all respondents.
520 responses total
This is not intended to be a scientific poll. But we think you will find the results interesting and worth considering as a rough gauge of how Source readers feel about issues confronting the territory. And we hope you will consider voting in this week's poll and those to come every Friday.

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