Press Release FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Keith Dawson Marketing Manager BVI Tourist Board (284) 541-8281 [email protected]

Hundreds Expected to Attend Lobster Festival

Tortola, , November 24, 2015 – Hundreds of people are expected to flock to Anegada this weekend for the third annual Anegada Lobster Festival taking place on Saturday, 28th and Sunday, 29th November. The much anticipated two-day event will kick off on the evening of Friday, 27th November with the Lobster Crawl, a night of bar-hopping and dining along the beach next to the port of entry. The event, which was launched by the British Virgin Islands Tourist Board to stimulate travel and interest in less traversed islands, has grown over the years and now attracts twice as many guests to that coral island compared to the inaugural year. Anegada Lobster Festival is the culmination of BVI Food Fete and this year, eleven restaurants will participate in the event. Guests arriving at the airport or seaport will be greeted by staff of the British Virgin Islands Tourist Board and then commence sampling lobster dishes from the participating restaurants while enjoying entertainment in a festive setting. This year, the British Virgin Islands Tourist Board collaborated with Conservation and Fisheries, and the Ministry of Culture to ensure guests are also able to experience the historical and cultural components that make Anegada special. “Based on the feedback we’ve received from the previous years we are excited for our guests to see the enhancements that have been made for this event. Attendees at this year’s Anegada Lobster Festival will receive an Anegada Heritage Passport, which promotes visits to the island’s top attractions including Faulkner House Museum, the Anegada Rock Iguana Head Start Facility, the S. Vanessa Faulkner Botanical Garden, Pomato Point Museum, Fisherman’s Wharf and the Amerindian Conch Shell Mounds. Veteran chef and culinary instructor Roshni Gurnani also spent time with our restaurateurs to offer tips and guidance on ways to improve their presentation, delivery and service. We hope the initiatives that have been put in place will offer another unique dimension for persons visiting Anegada”, said Director of Tourism, Ms. Sharon Flax-Mars.

Travellers will have a number of options for getting to and from Anegada on both Saturday and Sunday (28th and 29th November). Persons departing from the USVI may take the Inter-Island ferry that departs St. Thomas at 7:30 a.m. and St. John at 8:00 a.m.; the ferry returns from Anegada at 4:00 p.m.; Speedy’s ferries depart Virgin Gorda at 9:00 a.m. and Trellis Bay at 9:15 a.m. both ferries return at 6:00 p.m. From Road Town, the Sea Breeze (ROMASCO Group) departs at 10:00 a.m. and returns at 6:00 p.m. For those who wish to arrive to Anegada faster, local airline VI Airlink will make three (3) scheduled roundtrip flights per day from Friday, 27th November thru Monday, 30th November, while Air America and Capitol Air will be making trips from Puerto Rico and St. Thomas respectively on Saturday and Sunday. Passengers travelling

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on ferries and airlines outside of the British Virgin Islands will be able to travel directly to Anegada and conveniently clear Customs and Immigration at the airport and seaport located there.

“Having noted that the availability of on-island accommodations for a major event can be a challenge, we are pleased to announce that the Moorings has come on board as the Anegada Lobster Festival’s on-the-water accommodation provider partner with a special discount offered to local residents for Anegada Lobster Festival,” said Tourist Board Event Coordinator, Cindy Rosan-Jones.

At 7:00 pm on Friday, November 27 on the eve of the Anegada Lobster Festival, a dedicated crew of wine and spirit connoisseurs will enjoy trekking to several of Anegada’s favourite watering holes for the Anegada Lobster Crawl. This fun party event is the third in a series for BVI Food Fete, which included the Jost Crawl on Jost Van Dyke and Virgin Gorda’s On the Rocks Bar Crawl. The bars participating in the crawl are Lil’ Bit, Anegada Reef Hotel, Wonky Dog, Whistling Pines, Cow Wreck and Big Bamboo. The Tourist Board is looking forward to welcoming visitors to Anegada for Anegada Lobster Festival and to making this an enjoyable experience for all. For further information on Anegada Lobster Fete visit http://bvifoodfete.com or call 284 494 4182.

About the British Virgin Islands

An archipelago comprised of 60 islands and cays, the British Virgin Islands (BVI) are located approximately 50 miles east of Puerto Rico, in the northwestern region of the Sea. The main islands are , Virgin Gorda, Anegada and Jost Van Dyke. Road Town, located on Tortola, is the British Virgin Islands’ capital.

Renowned as one of the world’s premier sailing destinations, the BVI’s dynamic and vast topography provides a unique opportunity to “island hop” with ease — with each island characterized by its own cultural and natural wonders. Among these attractions are The Baths on Virgin Gorda, Anegada’s Flamingo Pond, White Bay on Jost Van Dyke, and Tortola’s Sage Mountain. Destination highlights also include world-class yachting, snorkeling, hiking, sustainable tourism and, for diving enthusiasts, the Caribbean’s most stunning wreck dives, such as the RMS Rhone.

A pristine and romantic island paradise evoking a bygone era, the British Virgin Islands are nonetheless easily accessible for U.S. travelers flying into Tortola/Beef Island’s Terrence B. Lettsome International Airport (EIS) via frequent connecting service from nearby Puerto Rico, St. Thomas, Antigua, St. Kitts or St. Maarten/St. Martin. Visitors traveling to the BVI from St. Thomas can also travel via ferry. Despite its status as a United Kingdom territory, the BVI conveniently uses the U.S. dollar as its official currency.

For more information on all that the British Virgin Islands have to offer, visit the official BVI Tourist Board website at www.bvitourism.com or contact 1-800-835-8530.

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