Business View Caribbean - Sept. / Oct. 2014

80 %XVLQHVV 9LHZ ‡ &DULEEHDQ ² 6HSWHPEHU ‡ 2FWREHU 86 9LUJLQ ,VODQGV the people that come to St. Thomas or St. John will see both islands. We are encouraging more people to do the island hop. We think it’s very important. But we also have to be truthful. We are very close to the British Virgin Islands, and if someone has a passport they generally will take a day trip to the British Virgin Islands as well, if they’re on St. Thomas or St. John. BV: What’s your favorite island? NICHOLSON-DOTY: All of them. My parents are from St. Croix. I’ve grown up on St. Thomas. I think St. John is absolutely from childhood a place to get away to. It was always a treat for us as children to get to go to St. John. To have the experience of being able to have grown up experiencing all three, I have different things that I like to do on each island. I definitely would say that I love sailing over to St. John. I think it’s probably one of the most relaxing ways that one can spend a day, sailing. When I want to have an authentic experience and experience our island culture, I certainly would spend a day in St. Croix and I would encourage people to come in February and experience our Agriculture Fair. It’s unlike any other. My husband is from Missouri, so I had a little idea of what a state fair is, and I will tell you that even though there are some similarities, there are certainly some very unique aspects of our fair that would give one a total authentic experience of having known that they were in a Caribbean destination. BV: What are the must-sees if you’re encouraging someone from the States to come down? NICHOLSON-DOTY: The St. Thomas carnival is in April. The St. John’s carnival is the 4th of July. In St. Croix, the Cruzan Christmas Festival is always over the holidays. It ends on Three Kings Day. St. Croix shares a very large Hispanic population and about 30 percent of the population is of Hispanic descent, so it ends on Three Kings. We share some cultural icons from the Spanish heritage, including the celebration of Three Kings. If you’re interested in carnivals or festivals, those are certainly some highlights along with the agricultural fair.