At the 54th annual AgriFest opening in St. Croix, Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) Secretary-General Dona Regis-Prosper delivered a transformative vision that redefines the region’s economic foundation. Addressing a capacity crowd on February 17, 2026, the tourism executive presented a compelling case that authentic Caribbean prosperity grows from the soil rather than corporate boardrooms.
The three-day festival, celebrating agricultural innovation and technological advancement, became the platform for Regis-Prosper’s paradigm-shifting declaration: ‘Tourism really began in a garden.’ She articulated that before hotels, airports, and cruise ships dominated the landscape, there was land, soil, and cultivation. This fundamental perspective challenges conventional tourism models that often marginalize agricultural heritage.
Regis-Prosper specifically commended the U.S. Virgin Islands for maintaining agriculture as central to its social and economic fabric rather than treating it as a secondary concern. ‘Here in St. Croix, agriculture is not a side story. It is the foundation of your global identity,’ she stated, referencing historical agricultural pillars like St. Croix’s sugar, St. Lucia’s bananas, Jamaica’s coffee, and Trinidad & Tobago’s cocoa.
The CTO leader identified a significant shift in traveler preferences, noting that modern visitors increasingly prioritize authentic sensory experiences over traditional luxury metrics. ‘Visitors don’t always remember square footage, décor or thread counts,’ Regis-Prosper observed. ‘They remember taste, smell, storytelling — or, as I like to say, truth-telling. And they remember how they felt.’ This evolution positions local farmers as essential contributors to the tourism value chain.
Supporting evidence came from U.S. Virgin Islands Tourism Commissioner Jennifer Matarangas-King, who revealed that AgriFest has become one of the territory’s most dynamic tourism weekends. ‘Outside of the Crucian Christmas Festival, AgriFest is the biggest weekend that we have,’ Matarangas-King reported. ‘Right now, every room is filled. You can’t get a rental car.’ She emphasized that the territory’s farm-to-table culture represents an authentic multigenerational practice rather than a passing marketing trend.
The event’s significance was further underscored by the anticipated arrival of three cruise ships bringing over 8,000 visitors during the holiday weekend, alongside thousands of residents and diaspora members.
Governor Albert Bryan Jr. joined the discourse on land use strategy, framing land ownership as a pathway to intergenerational wealth and community resilience. ‘We all need to think about how we live, how we eat, and what we grow,’ Bryan urged, detailing ongoing administration efforts to acquire land for preservation and agricultural development.
Regis-Prosper concluded by referencing the CTO’s Reimagine Plan, which promotes sustainable and regenerative tourism models. She proposed the equation ‘Agriculture plus technology plus strategic foresight equals resilience,’ while issuing a powerful regional call to action: ‘Tourism should never replace the garden. Tourism should protect it.’
The CTO delegation engaged in strategic discussions with territorial leadership focused on enhancing regional cooperation and expanding agro-tourism initiatives throughout the Caribbean, signaling a new chapter in integrated tourism development.