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Economic growth in the territory is in some aspects tied to the people it attracts. In this regard, there are some promising signs. In 2014 visitor arrivals to the three main islands totaled 2,814,200. A majority, 2,083,900w ere cruise ship tourists, but the territory also welcomed 678,961 air arrivals. St. Thomas and St. John reported 1,979,900 cruise ship visitors while St. Croix, which has more shallow ports than St. Thomas and is striving to increase cruise ship calls, reported 138,100, a 9% increase over the previous year.

These statistics were extracted from data from the USVI Bureau of Economic Research. For further updates on visitor arrivals, visit the the VI Bureau of Economic Research at http://www.usviber.org.

St. Croix’s rum industry is also on the rise. In June 2008, the US Virgin Islands and Diageo, USVI began a public -private initiative for the construction and operation of a high capacity rum distillery on St. Croix. This 30 year commitment is providing a major economic stimulus for the entire territory of the US Virgin Islands. Today, all the rum used to make Captain Morgan branded products for the US Market comes from the U.S. Virgin Islands. Captain Morgan is a global leader amoung premium spirits and is the second leading rum in the world. Located in the St. Croix Renaissance park, the facility features a state-of-the-art, eco-friendly visitor’s center with a souvenir gift shop. Tours are available throughout each week and the Captain Morgan Visitor’s Center also is available for rent for private affairs.