United States President Joe Biden is spending his holiday vacation this year in the Caribbean.
President Biden is returning to what was one of his favorite vacation spots when he served as President Barack Obama’s Vice President: the island of St Croix in the US Virgin Islands.
Biden arrived on Air Force One to St Croix’s Henry Rohlsen Airport this week, staying at the private home of Bill and Connie Neville near Christiansted, according to the White House.
He and his family will be staying at the home for a week.
Biden has regularly visited St Croix for vacations over the years, including as vice president, typically visiting during the last week of December.
The visit puts the spotlight on the US Virgin Islands, which has been a global success story for its response to the pandemic and now years-long tourism renaissance since the onset of the pandemic.
Biden is the first US President to visit St Croix since Harry Truman back in 1948. This is the second time he has visited the Caribbean as a sitting president. He also visited Puerto Rico back in October, though on a working trip.
Former President Jimmy Carter did visit the island after he was no longer in office, famously staying at the historic Club Comanche Hotel in downtown Christiansted in 2010.
St Croix has seen strong visitation in the pandemic, along with sister islands St Thomas and St John.
St Croix has seen been buzzing most recently for its world-class dining scene, something that earned it Culinary Destination of the Year in this year’s Caribbean Travel Awards.
The island is also home to spectacular beaches, historic towns like Christiansted and Frederisksted, and a vibrant culture.
Biden is not the only US President with a love affair with the Caribbean. Former President Donald Trump owns a villa on Plum Bay on the island of St Martin, the Chateau des Palmiers, which can be rented.
For more, visit USVI Tourism.