Good News from the BVI
Broker Ed Hamilton, writing on his website’s blog yesterday, announced the news that charterers booking yachts in the British Virgin Islands will no longer have to worry about the British Virgin Island Port Tax–which as of yesterday has been shelved.
As Hamilton put it, “We are of course very relieved. … We were not looking forward to making all those phone calls to existing clients, informing them their vacation would suddenly cost several hundred dollars more!”
There are two things I’d like to note about this news item.
First, for you as a charter client, it’s important to understand that the published base rates you see for yachts are absolutely not the bottom line in terms of what you’ll spend on a charter vacation. Expenses such as fuel, food–and, yes, port taxes in some destinations–will typically add between 10 percent and 25 percent to any yacht’s published base rate (unless the fee is explicitly stated as inclusive).
Second, I can’t stress enough how important it is for you to work with a reputable charter broker to ensure that your interests are being looked after. There’s a reason we have Ed Hamilton on our list of reputable brokers. Like many of the other brokers we recommend here on CharterWave, he is engaged not just in taking a commission for your vacation booking, but in genuinely working on your behalf, and on the industry’s behalf, in popular charter locations such as the British Virgin Islands.
I agree with Hamilton that the shelving of this port tax is a good thing for charter clients. Here’s hoping that the BVI government continues to see charter yachts as a valued part of the vacation community.