ST. CROIX, U.S. Virgin Islands — The Caribbean Tourism Organization told regional tourism and government leaders that Caribbean resilience and long-term economic stability depend on preserving agriculture, not allowing tourism growth to replace local production.
Dona Regis-Prosper, the Caribbean Tourism Organization’s secretary-general and CEO, delivered the message Saturday at the opening of the 54th annual AgriFest on St. Croix, describing the three-day showcase of agriculture and technology as a moment for the region to reaffirm its identity.
Regis-Prosper said tourism’s modern success remains inseparable from the Caribbean’s agrarian foundations, even as visitor arrivals and hotel development continue to dominate economic planning in many territories. Her remarks also build on earlier Caribbean Tourism Organization messaging on sustainable tourism policy, including its wider push to reframe regional growth around regeneration and resilience.
Why the Caribbean Tourism Organization is tying tourism to farming
Regis-Prosper challenged the idea that tourism should eclipse cultivation, arguing that the Caribbean’s brand was built on land and food long before airports, cruise terminals, and resort corridors reshaped the region’s economy.
“Before there were hotels, airports, seaports, and cruise ships, there was land, soil, and cultivation,” she said, adding that “tourism really began in a garden.”
She praised the U.S. Virgin Islands for sustaining agriculture as a core pillar of its economic and social fabric, rather than treating it as a supporting sector.
Regis-Prosper referenced the historical legacies of St. Croix’s sugar, St. Lucia’s bananas, Jamaica’s coffee, and Trinidad and Tobago’s cocoa, saying those products did more than generate export revenue. They also helped define Caribbean identity and continue to influence how destinations are perceived internationally.
She said traveler preferences are shifting toward sensory authenticity, with visitors placing greater value on food, taste, and storytelling than luxury markers like room size or décor. That change, she said, positions farmers and local producers at the center of the tourism value chain.
AgriFest weekend fills hotels as cruise visitors arrive
U.S. Virgin Islands Tourism Commissioner Jennifer Matarangas-King said AgriFest has become one of the Territory’s busiest tourism weekends, delivering measurable economic activity across the accommodation, transportation, and retail sectors.
“Outside of the Crucian Christmas Festival, Agrifest is the biggest weekend that we have,” Matarangas-King said.
She said hotel rooms were sold out and rental cars were not available as the festival opened. She reported that three cruise ships were expected to bring more than 8,000 visitors over the holiday weekend, in addition to thousands of residents and diaspora members.
Matarangas-King said the Territory’s farm-to-table culture is not a marketing trend but a generational practice that predates the current global focus on local sourcing.
“Farm-to-table is not a movement here,” she said. “It’s a way of life that spans generations.”
Governor urges land preservation and food security focus
Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. used the opening ceremony to call for changes in how the Territory approaches land use, consumption, and food security, framing agriculture as a pathway to resilience and generational wealth.
“We all need to think about how we live, how we eat, and what we grow,” Bryan said, adding that “good food grows in the yard.”
He praised Agriculture Commissioner Dr. Louis Petersen for long-standing leadership and said his administration continues to acquire land specifically for preservation and agricultural use. He urged young people to view land and cultivation as foundational assets, not outdated practices.
Regis-Prosper echoed the resilience theme, saying technology should support agriculture rather than displace it, particularly as Caribbean territories face rising climate risk and shifting global supply chains.
Referring to the Caribbean Tourism Organization’s Reimagine Plan, she said sustainable and regenerative tourism depends on aligning agriculture, technology, and policy.
“Agriculture plus technology plus strategic foresight equals resilience,” she said.
Before the opening ceremony, the Caribbean Tourism Organization delegation, including Deputy Director of Sustainable Tourism Narendra Ramgulam and Executive Assistant and Office Manager Marvelle Sealy, met with Bryan, Matarangas-King, and Deputy Tourism Commissioner RoseAnne Farrington to discuss regional cooperation and expanding agro-tourism linkages across the Caribbean.
Regis-Prosper closed with a message she framed as a regional directive, telling leaders that tourism growth should not displace agriculture but reinforce it.
“Tourism should never replace the garden,” she said. “Tourism should protect it.”
