TOURISM: Reaching People Touching Lives

Issue 24 | 18 May, 2019

TOURISM:

Reaching People Touching Lives

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Saint Lucia Wins

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Domestic Economic Performance and Prospects

Saint Lucia Featured in Latest Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition

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03. Taking Tourism to the People 04. Raking in the Awards 06. Tourism Policy 07. Entrepreneurs in Tourism 08. One Million and Counting 09. Saint Lucia’s Cruise Tourism Enhanced 10. Minister of Tourism Excited About Village Tourism

11. Nurturing an Exuberant Culinary Arts Landscape in Saint Lucia

12. New Experiences in Soufriere 13. Saint Lucia Jazz- Building Capacity 14. News Bites On cover Tourism Minister Hon. Dominic Fedee chats with a watersports entrepreneur.

Photo: Bill Mortley

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Let’s Do It With Love!

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ur National Anthem, asks that “where so ever you may roam, love oh love our island home.” Of course “home” for us is Saint Lucia, an island paradise, attracting thousands of visitors each year from all over the world. True, they come initially simply for a getaway vacation. But once they get here, they too fall in love, captivated by our island home’s alluring charm, and imposing beauty, our people, our culture, our sites, beaches, food and so much more.

It is for all this and more that Saint Lucia has been rewarded with several international awards, some of which we highlight in this issue of “Our Saint Lucia” with the spotlight on Tourism.

Saint Lucia provides equally for those who wish to spend their time relaxing and those in search of adventure and exciting activities. And so, a well-developed tourism industry means Saint Lucia has ample infrastructure and provisions for all visitors’ needs and comfort. However to strike the balance for a well-developed product, tourism must be people centric and our fellow citizens must truly first love our island home which is the product we are selling and be empowered to appreciate, understand and be a part of Tourism.

In this Tourism issue of “Our Saint Lucia” we highlight some of the Government’s efforts in this regard, as well as some of the success stories of local entrepreneurs involved in tourism.

It is quite a diverse product that we have been able to develop over the years. It encompasses heritage tourism, eco-tourism, weddings, honeymoon, dive and underwater tourism. Visitors do not just come for sea, sand and fancy hotels. They come for our culinary delight, our festivals – Jounen Creole, Carnival, Jazz and to share in our culture and the warmth of our people.

All of this and more is what makes us who we are, engenders our love of country as we invite the world to be a part of it, to share with us in peace, love and tranquility on this our island home Saint Lucia.

Our aim in this new dispensation is to continue to harness the talent of our people towards this goal.

Taking Tourism to the People Message from Hon. Dominic Fedee Minister of Tourism, Information, Broadcasting and Culture.

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aint Lucia is indeed deserving of the title “Fair Helen” and all of the other wonderful accolades bestowed upon it over the years. This 238 square mile gem of ours, comprising not just natural God given beauty, scenery, resources and rich heritage, also boasts warm and friendly people, ready to become empowered as stakeholders of the tourism product.

We are proud that Saint Lucia has stacked up a record number of visitors in 2018; 1.2 million, a first for the island. We share this feat with every single Saint Lucian, for at the core of our successes are our people.

And while we continue to attract investments in major brand name resorts, which will create further employment and increase our room stock, the Government of Saint Lucia, through the Department of Tourism and various agencies is also focusing on our people through Village Tourism.

The Department of Tourism and the OECS Competitive Tourism Project (Village Tourism) is one which seeks to build the capacity of vendors and other ancillary services, to create better linkages between the local economy and tourism. Through Village Tourism, part of this project will seek to enhance the general façade of the city as well as target a number of villages in the initial stage.

Over the next six years we will be spending $40 million dollars to plug the competitive gaps to ensure that the tourism sector is bringing improved returns to the people of Saint Lucia.

The figures are there to prove that we are attracting the numbers. The focus now for us is to build capacity among our people, assist them in product development and product diversity, customer service training and other areas, and direct them to take advantage of the tourism incentives, which I would like to emphasize is available to Saint Lucians.

This is the premise of Village Tourism; where what we want to ensure is that various communities that have good opportunity to be part of the tourism product, we assist in creating the enabling environment. We want to empower our citizens and communities, to be in charge of the tourism industry, to participate at the entrepreneurship level, where they themselves can be champions of this industry.

To improve the governance of the Tourism sector, we have taken a comprehensive look at how the tourism industry is managed and have instituted the Tourism Advisory Council, which has been operational from 2018. This body is made of seventeen public and private sector agencies, in an effort to make tourism truly everybody’s business, thereby creating greater synergies between public and private sector.

Recently, a new Saint Lucia Tourism Authority campaign “Limitless Saint Lucia” sought to engage our people, by offering them prize incentives for sharing images and videos of themselves promoting the destination. Again, this is our way of saying that our people must be a part of this product, not just as workers, but as ambassadors, marketers, entrepreneurs, shareholders, investors and custodians of our tourism product.

The key economic targets of the tourism sector strategy are to increase GDP contributions to $1.9 billion by 2022, attract investments of $3.5 billion by 2022 and create over 4, 000 jobs by 2022.

We have also embarked on the new Hewanorra International Airport Project. But I need to reiterate, that all our efforts will be in vain if we do not keep our eyes trained on our people and empower them to become a part of this. So I employ one and all to join me as we seek to keep making Saint Lucia not just the greatest place on earth for vacations, honeymoons, weddings, diving, exploring, enjoying great food, arts and culture and festivals – but where we can thrive and improve the quality of our lives, as the benefits of tourism redound to all our people.

Hon. Dominic Fedee Minister of Tourism, Information, Broadcasting and Culture

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S aint Lucia Wins

Ho ne y mo on

D estination Award, A gain !

No other destination has won the coveted title as many times – Saint Lucia’s closest rival is Mauritius, which has won four times.

To commemorate the award, the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority (SLTA) unveiled a massive billboard outside the Hewanorra International Airport on Sunday, December 2, 2018 announcing its most recent title and highlighting some aspects of the island that won its acclaim as the leading honeymoon destination.

HOTEL AWARDS

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Saint Lucia Leading Hotel 2018/2019 Boucan by Hotel Chocolat

aint Lucia has consistently been lauded as one of the best Weddings and Honeymoons Destination.

At the 26th annual World Travel Awards (WTA) in Jamaica at the Sandals Montego Bay on January 28, 2019, the island again won the award for the ‘Caribbean’s Leading Honeymoon Destination.’

Saint Lucia has won this award 10 times, with the most recent honour in 2018.

The red-carpet award ceremony celebrates the most prestigious travel professionals and tourism brands in the Caribbean and North America. The World Travel Awards followed with the 37th edition of the Caribbean Travel Marketplace, which is hosted by the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association.

In 2018, Saint Lucia was bestowed the title of ‘World’s Leading Honeymoon Destination’. During the said year, Saint Lucia recorded a 5% increase in honeymoon arrivals over 2017.

The island won the title of ‘World’s Leading Honeymoon Destination.’

The Saint Lucia Tourism Authority (SLTA) is positioning the island as a premiere luxury destination, applying further concentration to our niches that continue to drive business internationally.

The destination was nominated among the top Honeymoon hotspots around the world, including Cartagena de Indias, Colombia; Jamaica; the Maldives; Maui, Hawaii, USA; Mauritius; Miami Beach, Florida, USA; and Paris, France. This is the island’s tenth World’s Leading Honeymoon Destination Award, but only its first title since 2010.

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At the recent World Travel Awards, Saint Lucia’s Boucan by Hotel Chocolat was voted as the leading hotel.

This boutique hotel provides stylish, modern décor and is in a spectacular rainforest setting, 6.4 km from Soufriere Town Centre. In an 18th-century cocoa estate, Hotel Chocolat features an inviting infinity pool with stunning views of the Piton Mountains.

Eroline Lamontagne of the Fond Doux Plantation & Resort, captures the Green Hotelier of the year award!

As the world celebrated Earth Day, Caribbean Journal awarded Eroline Lamontagne of the Fond Doux Plantation & Resort as the Green Hotelier of the year.

Every day is Earth Day at the Fond Doux Plantation & Resort.

As a strong supporter of the Paris agreement, the plantation resort is doing all in its power to help reduce its carbon footprint. The Green Globe certified locally owned, managed and staffed plantation resort continues to lead by example, with their sustainability efforts and have made outstanding contributions to the solution of reducing single use plastics.

Plastic bags for bagging at the gift shop has been replaced with paper bags and the portioned controlled in-room hair

and body products are replaced with dispensers. Fond Doux Plantation & Resort has also discontinued the use of plastic cups, straws, plates and plastic cutlery and has replaced with biodegradable products Fond Doux Plantation & Resort Captures another two Awards from Trip Expert for the Bamboo Restaurant & Mamma La Terre Spa

hotels that make their guests the happiest. Bel Jou received an overall score of 9.1/10.

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HotelsCombined recognize Bel Jou Adults Only – All Inclusive amongst the best hotels in Saint Lucia

COCO PALM AWARDED 2ND CONSECUTIVE BA HOLIDAYS CUSTOMER EXCELLENCE AWARD In March of this year, Coco Palm announced that it had received a British Airways Customer Excellence Award for 2018. This award comes from unbiased customer reviews and is designed to showcase the hotels that make their guests the happiest. Coco Palm received an overall score of 9.4/10.

Fond Doux Plantation & Resort’s Bamboo Restaurant and Mamma La Terre Spa are among the recipients of the 2019 Experts’ Choice Award from Trip Expert. Expert’s Choice award is in its fourth year and it is only a few attractions and restaurants worldwide who receive this award. It recognizes endorsements by leading publications, such as travel guides, magazines, newspapers and reflect the consensus of journalists and other professional travel writers. More than 1.5 million reviews were taken into account in determining the winners of the 2019 awards.

Bel Jou Hotel Receives Numerous Accolades two Years after Re-Opening Hotel •

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TripAdvisor Hall of Fame Award Bel Jou Hotel has earned a Certificate of Excellence every year for the past five years, and has qualified for the Certificate of Excellence Hall of Fame.

Coconut Bay Beach Resort & Spa, Saint Lucia’s most popular Premium All-Inclusive, continues to be recognized for its outstanding service and facilities globally from both the consumer and trade travel industry sectors receiving new accolades from Islands, the British Wedding Awards and HotelsCombined.

British Airways Holidays Customer Excellence Award 2018

Coconut Bay Beach Resort & Spa was chosen as both the Editors’ Choice and Readers’ Choice winner of the 2019 Islands All-Inclusive Award in the “Best Pool” category.

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Saint Lucia’s Coconut Bay Beach Resort & Spa wins awards from around the globe in a diverse range of categories

Bel Jou received a British Airways Customer Excellence Award for 2018. This award comes from unbiased customer reviews and is designed to showcase the

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Saint Lucia’s Tourism Policy

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he formulation of such a Policy has become an absolute imperative, in the light of rapidly changing circumstances within the global tourism industry and the global economy in general. Saint Lucia could not respond to the many current and future challenges confronting the industry without a clear assessment of its strengths and weaknesses and without a firm consensus among stakeholders, on the strategies that must be employed to create and deliver a competitive product.

This Policy document was fashioned through a consultative and collaborative process that included a High Level Policy Forum involving the political directorate and the leadership of all key public and private sector agencies and nongovernmental organisations, with a vested interest in the tourism industry.

The Forum assisted in identifying the key issues that affect the tourism sector as well as recommendations on ways in which these issues could be addressed.

The Policy is intended to facilitate coordinated action by the public and private sectors within a framework for sustainable tourism planning and development. This is predicated on the establishment and nurturing of a permanent public/private partnership.

The Policy is to be guided by the imperial forecasting and responsible management of the impact of the industry on other branches of the local economy, society, environment and culture. It is ultimately aimed at ensuring that the benefits generated by tourism are as widely distributed as possible throughout the nation and among local communities.

The Vision

Our Vision is that Saint Lucia be recognised internationally as having a unique, competitive and high quality product that meets the expectations of visitors, that will be sustained by a welltrained and customer-focused workforce and where the benefits generated by tourism are widely shared.

7)The right of the populace to enjoyment of the scenic and other natural resources, including the island’s beaches, must be preserved in the development of the sector.

Objectives

Guiding Principles In pursuing the vision, Saint Lucia’s Tourism Partners agree to observe the following principles: 1)Saint Lucia will build on its existing strengths to develop and maintain a high-quality tourism product that meets the expectations of visitors, by promoting a clean, healthy and safe environment, complemented by friendly and efficient services.

2)Opportunities for linkages between tourism and in particular agriculture, manufacturing and other services must be fully exploited.

3)In the planning and development of Saint Lucia’s tourism, the sustainability and the conservation of natural resources must be ensured.

4)Tourism has considerable potential to act as the main engine of Saint Lucia’s social and economic development and should be treated as a strategic development priority.

5)While there is a continuing need for foreign investment, skills and technology transfer to expand and modernize tourism infrastructure, the industry must allow for the fullest participation in its planning and development by all segments of the Saint Lucian society, and its benefits must be distributed as widely as possible.

6)Tourism development will be privatesector driven with the role of Government concentrated on creating an attractive and profitable investment climate, and

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market- friendly mechanisms to generate opportunities for local participation. Longterm sustainability will come from the development of a local entrepreneurial class.

Consistent with the guiding principles the broad objectives of this Policy are as follows : 1. To establish tourism as a strategic economic development priority; 2. To expand local participation directly or indirectly in the tourism sector; 3. To continuously improve the quality of the tourism experience and product; 4. To stimulate and facilitate additional investment in the upgrading, expansion and diversification of the tourism infrastructure and production base; 5. To strengthen the backward and forward linkages between tourism and Agriculture and other sectors of the economy; 6. To project a positive and unique identity of Saint Lucia in tourism generating markets 7. To improve the public’s perception of and attitude towards tourism; 8. To participate actively in and take full advantage of regional and international initiatives.

This policy is currently being revised to incorporate a more strategic plan for tourism!

Entrepreneurs in Tourism Welcome to “ T h e I m a g e Tr e e ”

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oelita Grant is the entrepreneur behind “The Image Tree” a popular gift and souvenir shop in the town of Soufriere. She acquired the business in 2013 at its original location on Bridge Street, Soufriere.

However, today “The Image Tree” can be found at the newly opened Soufriere Beach Park Facility at Hummingbird beach.

“When I heard about the Beach Park and the plans for the location, I thought it would be ideal for my souvenir shop and so far I have not regretted the move. Things are good now but I expect it to get even better,” Noelita told “Our Saint Lucia.”

She believes that the tourism sector plays a vital role in the development of Saint Lucia and is proud to be a part of such an important industry.

“I have been involved in tourism from since I left school, working first with Sea Island Cotton Shop in retail and later at various hotels in the areas of Front Office, Reservations and Marketing,” she says. “I believe that it is very important for Saint Lucians to understand the vital role the industry plays and how it positively impacts us both directly and indirectly,” she adds.

Asked what distinguishes her souvenir shop from others she says; “our unique products.” Ninety percent of our products are carefully sought out from local crafters and we ensure that they are quality products that are often different from what is commonly found on the local market,” Noelita explains.

In fact, she is proud to be not just an entrepreneur and employer, but one who supports local as well.

Noelita believes that tourism should be everyone’s business and that we should all play our part in continuing to ensure that Saint Lucia remains one of the leading destinations in the world.

WHO KNOWSJOE KNOWS

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e is a well-known local personality, known by many Saint Lucians and visitors as Joe Knows. Those who know him know that he is in the business of entertaining whether it is through his booming sound systems or his popular boat tours.

After leaving school and working for a short time, Joe Knows says he soon found his calling in the tourism industry.

He first worked with Sandals Halcyon where he was nominated many times for employee recognition awards and won the title of “Mr. Sandals.” His role at Sandals involved entertaining guests and heading various tours all over the island. This he did for ten years, winning two awards for Tour Guide of the Season in Saint Lucia in 2005 and 2006.

“In 2006, I moved on and started my own business, first as a taxi driver, doing tours from the cruise ships to places like Soufriere,” he tells us.

From there, Joe Knows says he worked his way to acquire his first boat to move into doing boat tours. By 2010 he had five vessels and his tours were among the most popular on island, attracting the attention of Sandals Resorts owner and Chairman Gordon “Butch” Stewart. “I got a call from Mr. Stewart himself who offered me a contract to provide tours for the Sandals Guests,” Joe Knows reveals.

Asked what makes his tours different? He had this to say; “I think it’s the fact that everyone has a natural talent and mine is to entertain. And so this is what I bring to the business, I love to make people happy and share my warmth and love and just bring that joy. I also love my country, I am passionate about Saint Lucia, and so I give that off to our guests. In addition to that I hand pick all my staff and each one of them I see a little of me in them and we just gel like a big happy family which our guest feel like they are part of.”

His advice to persons interested in being part of the tourism industry; “this is certainly a good sector, but you must first love what you do in whatever area you are working in, or whether you become an entrepreneur. You must have a good personality, outgoing and engaging, and it helps to learn as much as you can about your country. Overall, just ensure you have that personality that can draw people to you and remember a pleasant smile goes a long way.”

Noelita Grant (right) with one of her employees

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One Million and Counting

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aint Lucia has recorded its best performance ever in visitor arrivals, as it welcomed 1,218,294 visitors in 2018. That number represents a 10.2% increase over 2017, which was also a record-setting year for the island.

Figures are up across the board led by the yachting sector with a 25.9% increase over last year’s numbers. Cruising is up by 13.6%; and stay-over arrivals have increased by 2.2%.

Type of Visitor

YTD Dec 2016

YTD Dec 2017

YTD Dec 2018

Actual Change

Percent Change

USA UK Canada France Germany Martinique Trinidad Barbados Other

157,576 64,514 37,772 4,440 2,272 27,654 14,945 6,504 32,195

168,223 72,580 42,578 7,012 2,848 30,302 16,923 7,862 37,799

175,073 76,142 40,213 8,224 2,132 28,805 17, 124 8,255 38,812

6,850 3,562 2,365 1,212 (716) (1,497) 201 393 1,013

4.1% 4.9% -5.6% 17.3% -25.1% -4.9% 1.2% 5% 3%

TOTAL

347,872

386,127

394,780

8,653

2.2%

Tourism Minister, Honourable Dominic Fedee has highlighted some of the steps that have been taken to reposition Saint Lucia’s tourism product to compete among the leading destinations in the world.

“We have a very small tourism marketing budget – around US$13 million – so we have to ensure that our efforts are

targeted,” Hon. Fedee said. “We use a scientific approach to select the areas where we can reach the most visitors with the highest net-worth in our marketing campaigns. For us, these areas are, predominantly, in the north-eastern USA (the Tri-state and Boston), the south-east UK region of London and its surrounding suburbs and the Greater Toronto area in Canada.

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The island continues to record strong numbers in its major generating markets of the United States and the UK, realizing growths of 4.1% and 4.9% respectively.

Stayover arrivals from Canada dipped slightly (5.6%) due, in part, to the absence of service from Transat Tours and a reduction in frequency of WestJet flights.

The Saint Lucia Tourism Authority (SLTA) also focused on the Martinique market,

Castries to accommodate Vista, Quantum and Freedom Class vessels.

which is the highest yielding in the Caribbean, and launched “Caribcation” in the summer of 2018 as a platform for Caribbean travelers, whose numbers grew by 1.6% over 2017.

of other major airlines have expanded their service to the destination.

Yacht arrivals also increased by 26.7% in 2018, while a record, 760,306 cruise passengers visited the island during the period owing to an expansion of Berth #1 at Pointe Seraphine, which allowed Port

Projections for 2019 look good, with British Airways pacing at 17% and Virgin Holidays at 27.9% over 2018.Condor has started an inter-airline agreement with LIAT on service from Frankfurt, Germany to Antigua and onto Saint Lucia from January 7 – March 31, 2019 and a number

The SLTA is angling for greater growth in 2019, and will continue with its aggressive, targeted marketing campaigns to attract even more visitors to the destination

Saint Lucia’s Cruise Tourism Enhanced

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wo hundred and sixty-one frontline officers are better equipped in international customer service skills, following a two-day certified training exercise on May 7 and 8, 2019 facilitated by the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority, Ministry of Tourism, Invest Saint Lucia and the Saint Lucia Air & Sea Ports Authority.

In an effort to ensure continuous enhancement of Saint Lucia’s Cruise Tourism Product, International Business Development Manager, Claudine Pohl of Aquila Center for Cruise Excellence trained the officers who ranged from tour guides, taxi and tour operators, cruise agencies, immigration, port police and the health sector.

The training development Programme focused on areas of the greatest impact on tourism and the cruise industry, community and partnerships, service excellence, cultural do’s and don’ts, creating product experiences, managing difficult situations,

Participants and facilitators following customer service skills training managing and minimizing risk, creating a culture of excellence and exceeding expectations.

“This training is about reinventing ourselves and becoming better ambassadors for Saint Lucia.,” said Minister with Responsibility for Tourism, Dominic Fedee. “It all begins with the first impression and we appreciate the need to surpass our current abilities and to do much better than we are.”

Senior Marketing Manager at the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority, Jackie Mathurin said; “With upward trends in cruise, our aim is to ensure that visitor experiences are enhanced across the industry, and what better way to do so than through the people who interact with them directly.”

The call for continuous training of this nature shows the need to improve the quality of that service and in an effort to ensure that frontline personnel are adopting the best practices taught, evaluations will be conducted.

New Tourism Projects

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Hotel Projects

he New Hewanorra International Airport – The project is expected to take 30 months from ground breaking to completion.

On Sunday, February 24, 2019, the Saint Lucia Airport and Sea Ports Authority officially launched the Hewanorra International Airport Redevelopment Project at a Sod Turning Ceremony in Vieux Fort.

The Authority formally introduced the project masterplan estimated at US$175 million dollars, which will significantly improve airside and airfield operations to include a new air traffic control tower (elevating over 100ft), five new parking aprons with connecting air bridges to a 337,000sq ft. terminal building and new road infrastructure and traffic management system.

The redevelopment of the ports in Castries and Vieux Fort will come on stream soon.

At least seven major hotel projects will commence during this financial year: • • • • • • •

Resort & Residences at Honeymoon Beach in Vieux Fort Hyatt in Choc Bay Villas and a Golf Course in Cap Estate Courtyard Marriott Hotel at Pointe Seraphine Hotel construction in Choiseul Sandals 360-suite project The continuation of the 1st Phase of the DSH project

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Minister of Tourism Excited About Village Tourism

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aint Lucia’s Minister for Tourism Hon. Dominic Fedee who is also the parliamentary representative for Anse La Raye/Canaries, says that he is excited about the prospects of village tourism as an initiative that will positively impact even more citizens.

Village Tourism seeks to encourage tourists to live like locals as another option to vacationing in Saint Lucia. The project is expected to launch once legislation to set standards of design, safety and management is final, later this year.

The plan will initially encompass Gros Islet in the north, Anse La Raye on the west coast, Dennery on the east and Soufriere on the west. Each village will have its own theme, such as wellness, art and island customs. With the help of low-interest financing, property owners in each village will be encouraged to upgrade their homes and cottages to make them suitable as accommodations for visitors.

All owners will be licensed and will undergo training to ensure that the accommodations and services are at the same level as they would be in a hotel or resort.

Anse La Raye Fish Fry “Already we are seeing requests from an increase in the number of visitors who want to get out of the comfort of a hotel and do something different, and I think we will be able to capture this with Village Tourism,” the Minister says.

According to Prime Minister Allen Chastanet, the global brand of this initiative will be Village Tourism, but each village will have its own unique signature, reflecting natural and cultural assets of the area.

Tourists will be able to meet with potters and cooks, basket weavers and fishermen and experience the life of a thriving village and its people, according to Fedee.

“Each community will substantially own and manage their initiative to bring economic benefits to as wide a number of residents as possible,” the Prime Minister says. He added; “Opportunities abound in mid-range accommodations, restaurants, bars, locally made craft, cultural activities, entertainment, locally made condiments, juices, fresh fruit, vegetables, medicinal herbs, hiking and watersports”.

“I think we will begin to see tangible results from this project by the end of the year,” the Minister says.

Village tourism is expected to attract participants across the tourism value chain, to improve their social outcomes.

OECS Regional Tourism Competitive Project

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urther to Village Tourism the Government of Saint Lucia is also excited about the Castries Market Redevelopment Project and the City Enhancement Projects.

“As part of our “Unlocking High Impact Tourism Projects” strategy most of the projects under this are fully private sector driven with Government funding the redevelopment of the Castries Central Market and wider beautification of Castries as part of the OECS Regional Tourism Competitive Project.

Prime Minister Hon. Allen Chastanet says: “This project will transform both the visitor and local shopping experience in Castries. But beyond this will benefit the owners of micro-enterprises and encourage further investment in this sector.”

As the cruise tourism market continues to expand the Government has identified the Castries City Tourism Product as a priority for Saint Lucia, with targeted investment sites and activities, aimed at making downtown Castries more pleasant and attractive to visitors as well as to Saint Lucian residents.

Renderings for Castries Market redevelopment

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The project will also seek to beautify “King George V Park.”

Craig Andes – An Award Winning Drinks Connoisseur

Nurturing an exuberant Culinary Arts landscape in Saint Lucia

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n the era of James Beard Awards, where accolades are handed to chefs perceived as culinary masters on a global stage, Saint Lucia has etched its own platforms to crown ground-breaking local chefs who push boundaries.

Many of said cuisine maestros have forgone foreign kitchens to now primarily serve in a country with a vibrant yet gritty, fast-paced culinary scene. Via these formal initiatives, new generations of chefs are supported and the established applauded.

A typical case is the efforts put on by the Saint Lucia Hotel and Tourism Association to organize high stakes cooking contests where teams of chefs are selected following rigorous elimination processes. These chefs then go on to represent the island on a world stage. Most recently, six chefs were selected as part of Saint Lucia’s National Culinary team to contest in the annual Taste of the Caribbean tournament, set to take place in Miami in June 2019.

The team was selected via Saint Lucia’s National Culinary Competition where 47 chefs battled for a title in one of the following four categories; Chef of the year, Junior Chef, Seafood Chef, and Beef Chef. The competition’s judges focused mainly on menu accuracy, safety, and presentation.

When asked about the significance of such opportunities, Culinary Team member Chef Clayton Julien—who was named 2019’s Chef Of The Year and has cooked in several restaurants all around the world—said, “I believe, at the moment, this is the best thing for chefs on the island. One, it gives them exposure. Two, it helps to develop them. Three, it allows for mentorship for the next generation which I find is the most important thing.” The appointed Culinary Team Manager, Chef Richardson Skinner, has said judging in the competition is strict and unforgiving. It is also used to gauge and monitor the current level of culinary skills on the island. (SLHTA) The full list of winners and members of Saint Lucia’s National Culinary Team are: Chef of the Year – Clayton Julien (Sandals Regency La Toc Golf Resort); Beef Chef – Vernance Dore (Big Chef Steakhouse); Seafood Chef – Ricardo Josue Jr (Harbor Club); Junior Chef – Zyhim Cadet (Cap Maison); Pastry Chef – Emmany Hippolyte (Jade Mountain); Chocolate Chef – Steffie Marius (St James Club Morgan Bay St Lucia); and Bartender – Craig Andes (Sandals Grande St Lucian Spa and Beach Resort).

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Craig Andes (left) with General Manager of Sandals Winston Anderson

n award-winning cocktail takes more than simply mixing the ingredients together. That’s the easy part. Passion and personality are what make it a work of art. That’s the invaluable lesson Craig Andes of Sandals Resorts has learned over the years and at just 22, he knows the sky is the limit.

Craig, who currently serves up his creations at the Sandals Grande Saint Lucia Spa and Beach Resort has just won the coveted Bartender of the Year Award at the annual SLHTA Culinary Competition, which means he is now an official member of the Saint Lucia National Culinary Team that will represent Saint Lucia in the annual Taste of the Caribbean Competition in June 2019.

Craig joined the Sandals family at just 18, fresh out of the Sir Arthur Lewis Community College. He did not get through the first time he applied, but he knew that Sandals was where he wanted to be, and finally got the nod on his 6th attempt.

The rest as they say …is history.

Craig recalls the first competition he took part in; it was the Chairman’s Food & Rum Festival, in the Spice Bartender category. He describes his first event as terrible, and what made it worse, was hearing it from a judge. He vowed then and there that this would never happen again. “You must have a passion and drive; if you don’t like what you do, you will never go far.

I set small goals for myself. When I am in the bar, I can totally forget any problems I may have; in the bar it is a different vibe.”

Now, he says, “I have a fire to take part in a competition and in December I won the first round of the International Mai Tai Competition. This is how I came to win the Bartender of the year award, and to make the team chosen by the SLHTA to represent Saint Lucia in the CHTA Taste the Caribbean Competition coming up in Miami in June.”

A past student of the Entrepot Secondary School and the Sir Arthur Lewis Community College and Travel & Tourism Programme, Craig already has his eyes set on moving up. “After the culinary competition I would like to move up the ladder. I would like to become Director of Food & Beverage at Sandals Resorts International one day. (SLHTA)

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New Experiences in Soufriere

The Sulphur Springs Park, which is managed by the Soufriere Regional Development Foundation, last year started work on major upgrades. And in March of this year the SRDF announced the commissioning of three additional pools.

Management of the Sulphur Spring Park has also enhanced the tour experience by offering a smoothies bar, a mini spa and photography and souvenir shop on location.

Alex Morgan was photographed by Ben Watts in Saint Lucia. Swimsuit by Monica Hansen Beachwear.

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Beach Park facility

he town of Soufriere attracts more than 200,000 visitors each year, who are captivated by the magnificent beauty of the area. The town is blessed with the best dive sites, the Piton and Sulphur Springs (part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site), botanical gardens, waterfalls and more April 5, 2019 saw the opening of the newly constructed Beach Park Facility in Soufriere.

Soufriere Beach Park April 5, 2019 saw the opening of the newly constructed Beach Park Facility in Soufriere, designed to promote entrepreneurship and sustainable jobs for small business owners, water taxi operators, tour operators, vendors, and water sport operators in Soufriere and Fond St. Jacques.

The Beach Park Facility includes a main central restaurant, two souvenir shops, a beach bar, a smoothie bar, Ice cream shop, a pizza shop, a spa, craft market area, storage facility for water sports, washrooms and showers, a gazeebo for entertainment and performances and open space with tables/chairs and beach umbrellas.

Sulphur Springs Upgrade

Saint Lucia Featured in Latest Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition

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lympic champion, FIFA World cup winner, recipient of the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Silver Ball, Women’s Sports Foundation Sportswoman of the Year awardee, and FIFA World Player of the Year finalist.

Those are just some of the accolades collected by USA women’s national football team captain Alexandra “Alex” Morgan, during a glittering career.

And now, she is a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue cover girl.

Morgan visited Saint Lucia recently for a photo shoot, set against the iconic Piton mountains in Soufriere, as she prepared to grace the cover of the 2019 edition of the SI Swimsuit Issue.

It’s not the first time that Saint Lucia has starred in the Swimsuit Issue, having been heavily featured in the 50th edition in 2014, with models including Emily Ratajkowski, Chris Urena, Samantha Hoopes, Lauren Mellor, and Hannah Ferguson.

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She is among four USWNT players who appear in the 2019 issue, alongside co-captain Megan Rapione, Crystal Dunn, and Abby Dahlkemper.

Saint Lucia JazzBuilding Capacity

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Shirley Ann Cyril-Mayers

he renowned Saint Lucia Jazz Festival has gone through a number of changes over the last few years. In 2016, the festival went back to its roots offering straight ahead Jazz to aficionados of the genre.

According to Minister with responsibility for Culture Hon. Senator Fortuna Belrose, while the event is still about attracting visitors to the island and marketing Saint Lucia, it is also about capacity building.

“Over the years, what we have done is to provide training in various sectors as well as provide opportunities for our people in events planning and management, so that they have the requisite skills and exposure in hosting festivals and other events at the highest standard,” the Minister says. “I believe that we have developed sufficiently, that we can host world-class events, throughout the year and Saint Lucia is seen as one of the leading destinations for quality events in the Caribbean. This is all part of the legacy that we are trying to build on,” she went on to say.

The government through Events Company of Saint Lucia, has also been able to acquire assets such as stages and tents that can be used for other activities and rented out to other promoters.

For this year’s Saint Lucia Jazz Festival, special tents were acquired for the hosting of some of the shows. These were erected in Gros Islet and Reduit (near the Yacht Club) and are flexible enough to be set-up in open spaces and used for a variety of activities.

Another area where the festival has been building capacity is training for musicians and performers.

This year, the Events Company of St. Lucia Inc. (ECSL), collaborated with Jazz at Lincoln Center to produce Saint Lucia Jazz.

As part of this collaboration, Jazz at Lincoln Center facilitated four music education workshops, targeting general

Gregory Porter and Ledisi

music students and Jazz students of various ages.

Saint Lucian students participating in Jazz workshop

Saint Lucia Jazz Ends With Praise!

The 2019, Saint Lucia Jazz Festival ended on a high note on Sunday May 12, with several visiting journalists and lovers of the genre expressing their appreciation for the event.

The event, featured Gregory Porter, Dianne Reeves, Catherine Russell, Somi, The Baylor Project, Veronica Swift, Ronald “Boo” Hinkson, the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra, Emerson Nurse, Christian McBride, Etienne Charles and others.

With a number of fringe and community activities setting the pace, between May 3-5, the mainstage activities got underway, Wednesday May 8 with the first ever Jazz cruise as well as Jazz at Gros Islet Park. The Park event featured Jowee Omicil and Patrick Bartley’s Dreamweaver Society.

However, it was the event the following day at Rodney Bay that had town talking.

The sold out showcase, featured an amazing delivery by the Grammy award winning singer Gregory Porter featuring Ledisi as the headline act. Equally impressive on the night, was female jazz vocalist “Somi” who was a real showstopper.

Homegrown saxophonist Augustin “Jab” Duplesis and his band were very outstanding as the opening act. They received a well-deserved standing ovation.

Friday’s concert at the same venue featured Ronald “Boo” Hinkson and Friends with a special appearance by Arturo Tapin. The act took the audience on a soothing musical journey with indigenous and Caribbean influences.

Capping things off was Ledisi, with the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra. They then took their music to the streets joined

by Saint Lucia’s Grand Mouveman, in a musically parade that made its way down the Rodney Bay strip, with throngs of fans in tow. That same night Etienne Charles and his “Creole Soul” blew the audience away at the Gros Islet Park.

No stranger to the Saint Lucian Jazz stage, Dianne Reeves was impressive on Saturday May 11 at the Rodney Bay tent while Christian McBride, Ledisi and Veronica Swift featured at the Gros Islet Park. Over in the Marina, Mario Canonge and Jesse Billy took the stage.

The Saint Lucia Jazz Festival ended on a note of high praise on Sunday May 12 at the Shangrila Estate (bordering Monchy and Bonne Terre).

There, the faithful and others came out for a musical Gospel Jazz celebration featuring Saint Lucia’s Shirley Ann CyrilMayers.

The picnic style Gospel Jazz brunch was headlined by the Grammy Award winning husband and wife duo Marcus Baylor and Jean Baylor, a former member of the 90’s R&B group Zhane, making up the Baylor Project.

The scores of patrons, young and old applauded heartily on numbers like “Hallejujah,” – a fitting end to the 2019 Saint Lucia Jazz Festival.

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News Bites

The region-wide initiative, which rolled out as a summer special in 2017 has grown into a standalone brand and offers Caribbean consumers the option to choose Saint Lucia as their favored retreat spot throughout the year.

With Saint Lucia touting its position as the fastest-growing regional destination, the Caribbean market has played its part in attaining such success.

Transforming

our world: Agenda 2030 for Sustainable

Choiseul Development Secondary Ministry of aint Lucia, along with many other global leaders, made Handed Over Health ramps a commitment to promote n Monday May 13, 2019, sustainable development up efforts the Government of Saint by signing onto the Agenda Lucia held a handing over 2030. The Agenda 2030 for Sustainable to stop ceremony for the newly Development, has replaced the MDGs, a constructed blocks at the robust and enhanced set of goals Choiseul Secondary School. that focuses on people, planet, prosperity, tobacco use more peace and partnership.

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Hon Guy Joseph Minister for Economic Development, Prime Minister Hon. Allen Chastanet, Student, Hon. Bradley Felix MP for Choiseul and Hon. Gail Rigobert Minister for Education at ribbon cutting ceremony

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he Ministry of Health and Wellness recently launched its campaign for World No Tobacco Day 2019, in partnership with the National Commission on Chronic NonCommunicable Diseases to bring attention to the issues of tobacco use in Saint Lucia.

According to the Tobacco Control Focal Point, Joanna Joseph, the trend is worrying.

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n an effort to attract more Caribbean visitors to Saint Lucia, especially during the Summer Festivals, the Marketing Manager for Caribbean and Events at the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority, Christopher Gustave, officially launched the Caribcation website for local and regional media partners.

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The Agenda is made up of seventeen (17) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and one hundred and sixty-nine (169) corresponding targets. Countries must now take ownership of the SDGs and develop strategies.

Dental health comic strip competition The Dental Services Unit of the

Department of Health and Wellness has launched the first ever Dental Comic Strip competition.

The newly constructed blocks, house approximately 650 students and comprise, among other modern trappings, a sick bay, resource room, technical drawing lab, IT laboratory, music and theatre rooms, and chemistry and physics laboratories.

Caribcation website launched

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This year’s campaign is significant for the National Commission on Chronic Non-Communicable Diseases as it seeks to target the youth. The World Health Organization recommends that governments and communities prioritize tobacco control in order to achieve sustainable development goals target for one third reduction in non-communicable disease premature mortality by 2030.

World No Tobacco Day will be observed on May 31, 2019 under the theme “Tobacco and Lung Health.”

The competition is launched as an oral health promotion campaign targeting young adults between the ages 18-35.

It is meant to encourage young people to take charge of their lives in a healthy and positive way, and to have health as a priority as they plan for their future and begin to navigate through life.

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