Virgin Islands Parks Raise Fees for First Time Since 1990

The National Parks Trust of the Virgin Islands will implement its first fee increase in more than three decades when new charges take effect on November 1, 2026.

According to the Trust, entrance and mooring fees have stayed essentially flat since 1990, even as labour, materials, utilities, maintenance and infrastructure costs have climbed sharply. Visitor numbers have also grown over the period. The revised structure aims to create a more sustainable funding base for managing and developing the Territory's 22 protected parks and approximately 155 marine conservation moorings.

Entrance Charges

Visitors to The Baths and Devil's Bay, the most heavily used sites, will see adult fees jump from $3 to $10 and children's fees rise from $2 to $5. At Sage Mountain National Park, adults will pay $5 instead of $3, with children moving from $2 to $3. The Joseph Reynold O'Neal Botanic Garden will charge $5 for adults (up from $3) and $3 for children (up from $2).

Resident pricing also shifts. Sage Mountain resident adults will move from $1 to $3, though resident children stay at $1. At the Botanic Garden, resident adults jump to $3 from $1, and resident children to $2 from $1.

Virgin Islanders, Belongers and residents retain free entry to The Baths and Devil's Bay upon presenting valid identification: a Virgin Islands passport, Belonger card, driver's licence, voter identification card, Work Permit card or NHI card.

Marine Mooring Costs

Daily permits for local boat operators will climb from $3 to $15 per person. Visiting adult daily permits rise to $25 from $6, while visiting children's permits go to $10 from $6. These charges do not include park entry fees.

Weekly charters and private vessels operated locally will shift from a sliding scale of $25 to $55 to a flat $160 per vessel, accommodating up to eight people. Visiting vessels move to $200 from a previous range of $50 to $110. Weekly permits include park access.

Annual commercial moorings for local operators will escalate from a range of $375 to $825 to $1,500 per vessel. Commercial visiting vessels jump to $2,000 from $750 to $1,650. Private local annual fees rise to $175 from $75, and private visiting fees to $250 from $150. Annual mooring charges exclude park entrance fees.

Use of Revenue

The Trust said money from the increases will go toward infrastructure upgrades, environmental conservation, visitor safety and accessibility, park upkeep, mooring maintenance and day-to-day operations across the protected areas network.

Dr Cassander P. Titley-O'Neal, Director of the National Parks Trust, said: "Our priority is to ensure that the Territory's national parks are properly managed, maintained and conserved for future generations." She added that "the revised fees will provide additional resources to support the ongoing operation of our parks and marine conservation network, while allowing the Trust to address necessary improvements to infrastructure, interpretation, safety and the overall visitor experience."

The Trust emphasised its commitment to keeping parks and diving and snorkelling destinations both accessible and well maintained. More details are available at www.bvinpt.org and the Trust's Facebook page.