Hospitality professionals sat down together at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel this week to ponder the future of tourism in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Discussions were heard at the 2026 Annual Meeting of the St. Thomas-St. John Hotel and Tourism Association.
In the immediate future was the introduction of a new association president and remarks by a guest speaker — newly appointed Tourism Commissioner Jennifer Matarangas-King.
Presenters also shared a forecast of 1.9 million cruise ship passengers reaching the territory’s shores in 2026, up from 1.83 million in 2025. Also, in the future, a campaign by the V.I. Taxicab Commission will require all taxi drivers to offer one alternative payment method in addition to traditional cash transactions.
Hotel and Tourism Association Executive Director Lisa Hamilton served as mistress of ceremonies. Outgoing Association President Scott Derrickson commended Hamilton for being honored Wednesday among a group of outstanding women at a Government House ceremony titled “Her Legacy, Our Future.”
As she delivered the director’s address, Hamilton described the recent collaboration with the taxi association to spread the word about the payment option policy. She also spoke about the association’s outreach to Government House to better regulate beach-based vendors and short-term business compliance with licensing requirements set by the Department of Licensing and Consumer Affairs.
“We want to be fair; we want them to be part of our industry, but we just want to tighten down on that,” Hamilton said.
She also spoke about a recent meeting with Customs and Border Protection and TSA about the way airline passengers are processed at the Cyril E. King Airport. “We are working closely on that to try and make it a better experience,” the director said.
Matarangas-King shared her impressions of the duties she took on in the top spot at Tourism in January. One of the first things she did was fill two personnel spots to work on the visitor experience.
“And I’m glad I did,” Matarangas-King said. She also spoke about dealing with the unexpected, including the arrival of U.S. Navy ships deployed to the Caribbean and the recent government shutdown affecting airport screeners working for the TSA.
“We’re constantly looking at everything,” she said, including the anticipated 1.9 cruise ship visitors and another one million air passenger arrivals in the current year.
“We are watching the whole geopolitical space; there’s a lot happening right now. We think that people will want to stay close to the U.S., and that should be good for us with our No Passport Required — that’s helpful.
Then, in a personal moment with the audience, the commissioner offered encouraging words. “I appreciate the work that you do every day; it’s not easy,” she said.
“I would like to wrap up by saying I challenge you to continue to show up as ambassadors, to continue to take pride in your role no matter how big or small; continue to invest in the territory — not just professionally, but personally,” the commissioner said.
