The British Virgin Islands' Environmental Protection and Tourism Improvement Fund stood at $15.83 million on June 30, 2026, according to financial statements from the Office of the Accountant General.
Income during the opening six months of 2026 totalled $1.85 million: $996,285.96 arrived in the first quarter, with a further $858,142 coming in the second. Acting Accountant General Wendell M. Ronan signed off on the quarterly statement on July 30 for publication in the Virgin Islands Official Gazette.
Revenue flows from a $10 visitor levy that took effect in September 2017. The money funds environmental protection work, climate change projects, and upkeep and expansion of tourism facilities throughout the territory.
Deputy Premier Julian Fraser, who oversees environmental matters, had previously stated that the separate Virgin Islands Climate Change Trust Fund would be seeded with more than $5.2 million, representing 40 per cent of accumulated levy income. By July 2026, that Trust held just over $6 million, combining its initial disbursement from June 2025, later payments and accrued interest.
Fraser noted that the Trust had faced earlier obstacles in drawing down its funds and that its board had gone inactive for a period. He underlined that the Trust functions as an independent entity with its own banking arrangements and a board that determines which projects merit support.
The remaining 60 per cent of levy money stays with Government for other approved uses, including transfers to the Virgin Islands National Parks Trust and the tourism authority. The National Parks Trust has recently raised alarm over barriers to accessing its allocations.
Since its launch, the levy has sparked ongoing public debate over spending decisions and whether the money translates into tangible environmental and tourism gains.
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