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| USVI Commissioner of Tourism Jennifer Matarangas-King (right) with Crop Farmer of the Year St. Lucian Clarita Montoute, and Dona Regis-Prosper, Secretary-General, Caribbean Tourism Organization |
| ST. CROIX, U.S. Virgin Islands โ While traditional tourism often dominates Caribbean economic headlines, a senior official in the U.S. Virgin Islands says the Territoryโs diaspora remains a powerful driver of travel, economic activity and cultural preservation. During last weekendโs opening of the 54th annual Agriculture and Food Fair โ widely known as AgriFest โ local tourism leadership highlighted the eventโs role as a magnetic homecoming, blending family reunions with economic impact. Speaking to a crowd gathered under the theme โAgriculture and Technology: An Ideal Mix in 2026,โ Commissioner of Tourism Jennifer Matarangas-King emphasized that the festival serves as a primary draw for Virgin Islanders living abroad. โAgriFest is also a time that many of the diaspora, we come back home,โ she noted in her address. โI think because itโs a concentrated time, you have a weekend where you can get everything โ the food, the music, the culture โ and in many cases I see itโs like family reunions.โ The diasporaโs influence transforms the agricultural showcase into one of the Territoryโs peak tourism weekends. Unlike typical leisure travelers, return visits by Virgin Islanders who migrated to the U.S. mainland or Europe often outpace one-time tourists in both frequency and emotional investment. These visitors seek immersion in cultural staples such as tarts, pรขtรฉ, johnny cakes and conch in butter sauce โ traditions that fuel demand for local dining, ground transportation and accommodations. The USVIโs farm-to-table heritage has also inspired grassroots spin-off events including โTart Wars,โ Pรขtรฉ Festival and Soup Festival. These community-led initiatives continue to attract returning Virgin Islanders as well as national and international visitors, creating organic, community-rooted economic growth. |
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| USVI Commissioner of Tourism Jennifer Matarangas-King (right) with Crop Farmer of the Year St. Lucian Clarita Montoute, and Dona Regis-Prosper, Secretary-General, Caribbean Tourism Organization |
| ST. CROIX, U.S. Virgin Islands โ While traditional tourism often dominates Caribbean economic headlines, a senior official in the U.S. Virgin Islands says the Territoryโs diaspora remains a powerful driver of travel, economic activity and cultural preservation. During last weekendโs opening of the 54th annual Agriculture and Food Fair โ widely known as AgriFest โ local tourism leadership highlighted the eventโs role as a magnetic homecoming, blending family reunions with economic impact. Speaking to a crowd gathered under the theme โAgriculture and Technology: An Ideal Mix in 2026,โ Commissioner of Tourism Jennifer Matarangas-King emphasized that the festival serves as a primary draw for Virgin Islanders living abroad. โAgriFest is also a time that many of the diaspora, we come back home,โ she noted in her address. โI think because itโs a concentrated time, you have a weekend where you can get everything โ the food, the music, the culture โ and in many cases I see itโs like family reunions.โ The diasporaโs influence transforms the agricultural showcase into one of the Territoryโs peak tourism weekends. Unlike typical leisure travelers, return visits by Virgin Islanders who migrated to the U.S. mainland or Europe often outpace one-time tourists in both frequency and emotional investment. These visitors seek immersion in cultural staples such as tarts, pรขtรฉ, johnny cakes and conch in butter sauce โ traditions that fuel demand for local dining, ground transportation and accommodations. The USVIโs farm-to-table heritage has also inspired grassroots spin-off events including โTart Wars,โ Pรขtรฉ Festival and Soup Festival. These community-led initiatives continue to attract returning Virgin Islanders as well as national and international visitors, creating organic, community-rooted economic growth. |
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The point of using Lorem Ipsum is that it has a more-or-less normal distribution of letters, as opposed to using ‘Content here, content here’, making
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