CARIBBEAN ST LUCIA
summer, the non- stop flights will run from the beginning of July to the end of August. In the US, we have secured a new American Airlines direct service from Chicago, beginning on 21 December. Earlier this year, AA added a seasonal flight from Miami to St Lucia. Additional seats were also added by JetBlue from JFK and Boston.
Q&A: DOMINIC FEDEE
Tourism minister, St Lucia Tourism Authority
What are your top source markets? Our top source markets are the US, Canada, the UK and the Caribbean. We have just discovered we reached a record monthly total of 36,342 stay-over arrivals for August 2019. Double-digit year-on-year growth was achieved in our three main markets – US (13%), UK (12%) and Canada (17%) – resulting in an overall increase of 7.4% from 298,723 recorded in August 2018.
Who will your marketing target in 2020? We will continue to support all our markets with particular focus on the US, Canada, the UK and Ireland, the Caribbean, France and Germany.
How has airlift changed in 2019? We will be sorry to see Virgin Atlantic withdraw its route from the UK next summer and want to thank them for supporting St Lucia for 21 years. We still have significant air access with direct daily flights from the UK with British Airways and Tui.
Are there any new routes scheduled to launch in 2020? We’re delighted BA has already strengthened its commitment with two new weekly direct flights to launch in 2020. Taking effect next
Airlift out of Canada increased with an additional 256 seats from WestJet and Air Canada combined.
Any notable new hotels? A good number of our hotel partners have completed significant renovations, including Coco Palm, Bel Jou, St James’s Club and Windjammer Landing Villa Beach Resort, to name a few. This year also saw the Sunwing Travel Group partner with Rex Resorts to manage and upgrade Mystique Royal and Starfish St Lucia. We also have exciting new hotel developments in varying stages of maturity.
Are there any new attractions in St Lucia? The Royal Saint Lucia Turf Club in Vieux Fort will be unveiled with its inaugural event, the Caribbean Equine Cultural Festival (CECF) St Lucia, taking place 12-14 December 2019. We are also offering the richest race in the Caribbean with a purse of $150,000 for the Pitons Cup. And, starting in January, we’ll host a monthly calendar of race events. The racetrack is the first stage of the development, which will also see a new casino, marina, shopping district, resorts and residential houses open throughout 2020 and beyond.
How has the Village Tourism Programme been performing? This project began in 2018 and is progressing well. In 2020 we will see further development of our community tourism destinations in eight villages: Gros Islet, Anse La Raye, Canaries, Soufriere, Choiseul, Vieux Fort, Micoud and Dennery. We
know many of our visitors choose a holiday for the good weather and the beautiful scenery. We have both in abundance in St Lucia, but the experience here goes much deeper. This is why we introduced the Village Tourism Programme, to encourage holidaymakers to explore our local communities and to create sustainable tourism that benefits all. The programme is well under way,
with Soufriere taking the lead having opened the new beach park, town square, bus terminal and market. Anse La Raye has just opened a new beach and will offer a new waterfront for 2020, with an upgraded jetty, new-look fish fry stalls and several new local seafood restaurants, bars and a cafe.
What are your key messages for WTM London? In 2020 we will continue our commitment to our UK and global trade partners, with joint marketing, fam trips, training programmes, roadshows and a sustained consumer advertising presence from September to March. Our growth trajectory is a clear indication our carefully crafted and well-targeted programmes, policies, and signature entertainment events are resonating and gaining traction with consumers in the region and international marketplace. As we start the 2019 winter season and more of these initiatives continue to bear fruit, we have no doubt the robust growth will continue.
St Lucia Tourism Authority is exhibiting at stand CA207
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