The future of Caribbean economic stability lies not in the boardroom but in the soil, Dona Regis-Prosper, secretary-general and CEO of the Caribbean Tourism Organization, said Saturday at the opening of the 54th annual AgriFest on St. Croix.
Addressing a capacity crowd at the three-day agriculture showcase, the region’s top tourism official said in a press release that modern tourism success remains inseparable from the Caribbean’s agrarian roots.
“Before there were hotels, airports, seaports (and) cruise ships, there was land, soil and cultivation,” Regis-Prosper said. “Tourism really began in a garden.”
She framed the annual festival as a reflection on regional identity and pushed back against the idea that tourism should eclipse local production, according to the press release.
Regis-Prosper, whose career includes work on St. Croix-based energy projects in the 1990s, praised the U.S. Virgin Islands for maintaining agriculture as a central part of its social and economic fabric, the press release stated.
“Here in St. Croix, agriculture is not a side story. It is the foundation of your global identity,” she said, referencing the historical legacies of St. Croix’s sugar, St. Lucia’s bananas, Jamaica’s coffee, and Trinidad and Tobago’s cocoa.
She said travelers are increasingly seeking sensory authenticity over traditional luxury markers, placing farmers at the center of the tourism value chain, the release stated.
“Visitors don’t always remember square footage, décor or thread counts,” Regis-Prosper said. “They remember taste, smell, storytelling — or, as I like to say, truth-telling. And they remember how they felt.”
Jennifer Matarangas-King, commissioner of tourism for the U.S. Virgin Islands, said AgriFest has become one of the territory’s busiest tourism weekends, the release stated.
“Outside of the Crucian Christmas Festival, Agrifest is the biggest weekend that we have,” Matarangas-King said. “Right now, every room is filled. You can’t get a rental car. I think people are probably sleeping on the beach at this point — so that’s good for us.”
She said three cruise ships were expected to bring more than 8,000 visitors over the holiday weekend, joining residents and diaspora members on St. Croix. She described the territory’s farm-to-table identity as cultural practice rather than marketing, the release stated.
“Farm-to-table is not a movement here,” Matarangas-King said. “It’s a way of life that spans generations.”
Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. used the ceremony to call for renewed focus on land use and food security. He praised Agriculture Commissioner Louis Petersen and described land ownership as a pathway to generational wealth and resilience.
“We all need to think about how we live, how we eat, and what we grow,” Bryan said. “Good food grows in the yard. Actually, everything grows here.”
Bryan said his administration continues to acquire land for preservation and agricultural use and encouraged young people to view farming as a foundational asset, the release stated.
Regis-Prosper also referenced the CTO’s Reimagine Plan, which promotes sustainable and regenerative tourism. She said technology must support agriculture to strengthen long-term resilience, the release stated.
“Agriculture plus technology plus strategic foresight equals resilience,” she said. “And resilience is something that St. Croix knows well.”
Her closing message underscored the relationship between the two sectors.
“Tourism should never replace the garden,” Regis-Prosper said. “Tourism should protect it.”
Before the opening ceremony, the CTO delegation met with Bryan, Matarangas-King and Deputy Tourism Commissioner RoseAnne Farrington to discuss regional cooperation and expanded agro-tourism linkages across the Caribbean, the release stated.
