Sun, Sand & Success: USVIHTA Wraps Season at Iggies Beach Bar

Thank you to the nearly 70 members who joined us on July 23 at Bolongo Bay Beach Resort for our Membership Mixer. During the mixer, USVIHTA President Lisa Hamilton gave updates on the association and industry news. The Taste of the Caribbean event will be held in conjunction with CHIEF Nov. 16-19 in Barbados. We plan to select our executive chef during the Taste of St. Croix event, and are excited to announce our team bartender will be Josh JnBaptist from Mim's Seaside Bistro. Check this email for sponsorship opportunities! And don’t forget to register for CHIEF, the Caribbean hospitality industry's leading forum for professional development. More details on registration and discount codes in the “Regional News” section of this email. Additionally, the StayCayUSVI2026 Promotion has launched, and we're excited to share great deals on flights from Fly the Whale as well as deals on accommodations from multiple members. View the flyer for more details, and click here for a list of participating hotels! We also announced ServSafe training will be held Oct. 3 and 5 at The Westin Beach Resort & Spa at Frenchman’s Reef with a maximum of 40 participants per class. Sign up sheets will be releasing soon, so be sure to secure your spots quickly! Lastly, we’re thrilled to welcome Club Med to St. Croix, which held its stone turning ceremony on July 15 at the former Carambola property. The property will undergo renovations to include a new pool and hotel entry, with a projected opening date of December 2027 and 100 rooms. We look forward to adding Club Med to the wealth of offerings on St. Croix!

Support the USVI Culinary Team as they Compete in Barbados this November!

We are pleased to announce CHTA’s Taste of the Caribbean event will be held Nov. 16 – 19 in Barbados. For 15 years, the USVI Hotel & Tourism Association has sponsored the USVI Culinary Team, a group of professionally trained chefs who represent our islands at the annual Taste of the Caribbean Competition. The team, comprised of an executive chef, a pastry artist, bartender and junior chef, match their epicurean skills against other teams from the region in a quest for culinary superiority. Last year granted us an opportunity to reform our team and restructure our approach after a long hiatus. Now, in 2026, we're ready to claim our place in the spotlight and show the Caribbean our growth and resilience! Visit chtataste.com for more information on the competition. The team could not compete without the support of generous benefactors. Sponsors assist the team with travel and accommodation expenses, team jackets, fundraising events and competition supplies. The level of sponsorship is outlined below with benefits. If I can answer any questions don’t hesitate to contact me at 340-690-1635 or email lisa@usvihta.com.

Visit 2027 Advertising Open NOW!

As the exclusive publishing partner of USVIHTA, North South Net, Inc. (NSN) is the official publisher of the Visit St. Thomas, St. John and St. Croix in-room hotel magazine. Our goal is to promote the USVI to potential visitors, increase the actual number of overnight guests, and provide on-island visitors with the highest quality information to enable them to make the best choices during their vacation. This benefits a wide range of businesses across the USVI. Visit St. Thomas, St. John and St. Croix is a high-quality, full-color upscale magazine that will be placed on an EXCLUSIVE basis in the guest rooms of over 100 hotels comprising more than 5,500 rooms in St. Thomas, St. John and St. Croix covering the vast majority of overnight visitors to the islands. In order to generate more visitors to the USVI, NSN provides USVIHTA with a substantial print and radio advertising budget for use in USVI’s key airlift markets across the United States. NSN has also developed and funded a number of other programs with USVIHTA that will increase the number of tourists to the island. By supporting our partnership with your advertising, you are supporting USVIHTA, helping to increase the number of tourists to the USVI and providing these tourists with the means to make the best choices during their stay. Attached you will find all the reasons why you should make Visit St. Thomas, St. John and St. Croix your primary advertising choice for 2027.

For more information, contact:

St. Thomas: Bobbie Bryan, 340-998-7025, Bobbie@northsouthnet.com

St. John & St. Croix: Leslie Hurd, 508-274-2604, Hurdpub@gmail.com

CHIEF 2026 Unveils Session Topics to Prepare Caribbean Hospitality and Tourism for 2030

The Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) has unveiled the program for the 2026 Caribbean Hospitality Industry and Exchange Forum (CHIEF), scheduled for Nov. 16-18 at the Wyndham Grand Barbados Sam Lords Castle All-Inclusive Resort. As the Caribbean hospitality industry's leading forum for professional development, CHIEF equips hospitality and tourism leaders with practical strategies, peer-to-peer insights, and innovative solutions to strengthen business performance and prepare for the future. This year’s theme, “Caribbean Tourism 2030: Resilient. Regenerative. Ready. Practical Strategies to Lead Smarter, Operate Better and Grow Stronger,” reflects the industry's focus on preparing for the next decade. Programming is organized around six content pillars including Technology & AI; Talent and Workforce Development; Sustainability, Resilience, Risk Management and Climate Adaptation; New Business Models & Revenue Streams; Operational Management; and Sales, Marketing, Channel Management and Social Media.

As a valued CHTA Compliance Destination, our members are eligible to receive 10% off CHIEF registration by using the discount code: COMPLIANCE10. When accessing registration, the voucher code chief@bgi26 is used to gain access to the member registration site and unlock the member registration rates. Register now.

New Dates, New Classes for 2027 St. Thomas International Regatta – April 8-11, 2027, Wing Foiling, Multi-Day Distance Racing Added

New dates and bold new classes are setting the course for the 2027 St. Thomas International Regatta (STIR). The event has moved off the Easter holiday to April 8-11, 2027 to make flights and accommodations easier to secure and give sailors time to celebrate with family. At the same time, STIR is embracing the future of sailing with the addition of an Open Wing Foiling Class, one of the sport's fastest-growing and most dynamic disciplines. The new class joins CSA Racing, CSA Cruising, IC24, Sunfish, Hobie Wave and One Design classes of at least 19 feet. New too is the Three Sheets Distance Race & Rally division, which moves this popular 100-nautical-mile St. John-St. Croix-St. Thomas-based regatta under the STIR umbrella and offers something exciting for those who like point-to-point multi-day racing. Renowned as the 'Crown Jewel of Caribbean Yacht Racing' for its professional race management, challenging courses and spirit of innovation, STIR continues to honor its rich racing tradition while evolving to showcase the future of competitive sailing.

James Wins 35th Bastille Day Kingfish Tournament with 30.35-pound Kingfish

Bad luck turned into a tournament-winning catch for angler Eli James aboard Catch and Keep at the 35th Bastille Day Kingfish Tournament July 12. When teammate Nate Gatliffe's hat blew overboard, Captain Kai Holmberg circled back in a futile attempt to retrieve it. While the hat was gone, the second pass over the same stretch of water proved lucky. After a 10-minute fight, James caught the 30.35-pound kingfish. The whopper earned him the Largest Kingfish award, with $2,000 in cash and many other prizes. After weigh-in, the fun continued onshore at The Shack and The Hideaway at Hull Bay, with live music. Crowds gathered at 7 p.m. for the Awards Ceremony. Over the past three-plus decades, the nonprofit Northside Sportfishing Club's annual Bastille Day Kingfish Tournament has donated over $230,000 to community organizations and scholarships.