BVI announces visa-free travel for Guyanese

–Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister see bright future for bilateral partnerships, hail country’s leadership and advancement

GUYANA tourists traveling to the British Virgin Islands (BVI) will no longer need a visa to access the territory, according to Prime Minister Natalio D. Wheatley during a press conference on the main island of Tortola on Monday morning.
Expressing how pleased he was to make the announcement, the Prime Minister explained that the move would help strengthen relations between the Virgin Islands and the region by facilitating travel, trade, tourism and investment.
He also highlighted the common goal of fostering regional collaboration, which creates new opportunities for people-to-people communication between the two countries.

Prime Minister Wheatley also said that visa-free travel to the British Virgin Islands is already beneficial to many Caribbean countries, and they are happy to extend the same gesture to Guyana, since the country is considered a major player in the region in terms of collaboration and investment. .
He added that Guyana is currently going through a historic economic change, with its expanding oil and gas industry being the main driver of this growth, combined with a diversified economy that is experiencing rapid growth in the mining, construction and construction sectors. agriculture.
Recognizing Guyana as a model in both international diplomacy and sustainable development, Prime Minister Wheatley said: “Guyana’s election to the United Nations Security Council places it in a central position to influence global policies in matters of peace and security, an achievement that elevates the voice of the Caribbean. on the international scene. »

The Prime Minister also explained that Guyana’s significant oil reserves and expanding non-oil sectors have made it a hub for international investment.
He added that several countries have already sent trade missions to Guyana, indicating that the global community, including the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Brazil, have taken note of the country’s economic success.
Additionally, Vice President Lorna Smith exclusively told the Guyana Chronicle that she is extremely pleased that the Government of the British Virgin Islands has lifted visa requirements for Guyanese visiting the British territory.
Acknowledging that the move allows the British Virgin Islands to improve and increase trade relations with the oil-rich country, the Deputy Prime Minister said Guyana has become one of the fastest growing economies in the world. the western hemisphere. The country is an associate member of CARICOM, Ms Smith said

that they have always known Guyana.
The Deputy Prime Minister said: “Guyana continues to grow its influence, now serving on the US Security Council, and therefore continuing to be associated with Guyana is only in the interest of the British Virgin Islands. We believe we can become natural partners, complementary assets to our own financial services sector, where we are one of the leaders in corporate, corporate and business development.

“When it comes to Guyana, we must also recognize that Guyana has a leader (President Ali) that we are all proud of and a leader that has one of the fastest growing economies, an economy where oil and gas have been discovered and an economy where countries like the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and all over the world are reaching out to Guyana. Once again, I must say that we are satisfied with this development.

Speaking on the cultural ties between the two nations, Ms. Smith further highlighted that BVI Guyanese represent the third largest non-BVI population in the territory.

She also said that British Virgin Islands Islanders have worked for many years alongside Guyanese in various jobs such as mechanics, boat captains, teachers and executives in the financial services sector.
With the relaxation of visa requirements, the Deputy Prime Minister noted that the move also makes it easier to travel to experience each other’s culture, which she said is a “win-win” situation for two countries.

Food security and agriculture
On food security and agriculture, the Deputy Prime Minister said that during a visit to Guyana last year, they had a “first-hand look” at everything that is happening in Guyana and the impact what this will have on the agricultural sector of the British Virgin Islands.
The Deputy Prime Minister said: “We believe there are great opportunities for us to learn from Guyana; however, the challenge for us at present is transportation in relation to importation from Guyana, but this is a challenge that we are currently reviewing and seeing how we can best address. We already have significant business between Guyana and ourselves in terms of boat travel, and there would be greater opportunities for growth in this area.
The Deputy Prime Minister said they were looking at establishing a Memorandum of Understanding between Guyana and the British Virgin Islands, where they could cooperate in areas such as agriculture, which she said is “very critical” for their territory.