In 2017, back-to-back hurricanes devastated the Virgin Islands National Park in the Caribbean, destroying structures, docks, and campgrounds. Since then, the National Park Service (NPS) has been trying to restore features in the Caneel Bay area of the park. It took several years to outline plans, find a hospitality company or concessionaire willing to take over the lease, and cover all the construction and costs that would be required to reopen.
NPS has recently issued an open call for proposals to lease the land. The document would ultimately give the leaseholder control over a broad swath of public land, prioritizing the developer’s potential profit over public access.
What happened
The NPS is working to find a new leaseholder for Caneel Bay from 2021. It had a 2-year planning period where it presented potential plans, sought feedback from the public and conducted environmental assessments. Agency again in 2023 issued a document Entitled “Virgin Islands National Park Caneel Bay Area Redevelopment and Management Environmental Assessment”, it outlines its intended action.
After that, in 2024, NPS followed the standard procedure and Interested parties invited To present evidence that they had the capacity to properly restore and manage the area. For no apparent reason, it was released after the window for submissions had closed. NPS did not take any additional steps.
Suddenly, on May 7, 2026, NPS issued a new document: Request for lease proposals. This is not an official plan like the one for 2023 – there has been no public comment or environmental assessment. However, it outlines what the leaseholder will control, and it marks major changes from the prior plan.
2026 vs 2023
The 2023 plan is very specific in terms of how the land will be used. It highlighted the following:
- 67 acres of land for night accommodation and facilities, managed by the leaseholder.
- 5 acres as a day-use area, managed by the NPS with services provided by a concessionaire.
- 78 acres of conservation area managed by the NPS.
- 7 acres for operation and maintenance.
- 11 acres of cultural and historical interpretive area managed by the NPS.
- 7 acres of the former landfill is open for lessee use.
The 2026 document contains none of this. Rather, it states that “the leasehold premises will, at a minimum, be approximately 150 acres.” No conservation, day-use, or interpretive areas, all of which guarantee public access, are required.
Public access overall is another major discrepancy. The 2023 plan called for public day-use access at three popular beaches: Honeymoon, Little Caneel, and Caneel. Meanwhile, the 2026 document mandates public access only for these areas. This is the part of the beach between low and high tide, also known as “wet sand”.
The back shore – the section of the beach where people lay out their towels, set up their chairs, and play beach games with their children – is not guaranteed to be accessible to the public.
There are also differences when it comes to the specifics of housing. In 2023, the limit for the operator was 166 guest rooms. There is no maximum in 2026.
How does it matter?
The Virgin Islands National Park is a major attraction for tourists visiting the islands. According to this, it attracted more than 420,000 people in 2024 and 2025 nps data. Kanil Bay is one of the most pristine natural areas of the park with stunning beaches. Control of land given to leaseholders will directly affect how people can access this land, and what it may cost them to do so.
Whoever ultimately gets the lease can hold it for a maximum of 60 years. Policies and decisions related to land use will determine how people can access this public land for decades. The question is whether NPS will give priority to developers or the public.
