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By Andre Bagoo Thursday, March 1 2012
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THE GLOBAL economic downturn has affected the tourism industry the world over. Ask anyone in Tobago where hoteliers struggle to fill rooms, restaurant business is relatively slow and generally things seem stagnant.
Yet, currently, St Lucia’s tourism industry is booming. Arrivals for 2010 were at record levels. There were 305, 973 visitors in that year, almost three times the total population. The levels are expected by analysts at the St Lucia Tourism Board to increase by at least two percent in 2011 when the final figures come in.
These numbers are all the more impressive given what some St Lucians regard as record levels of crime on the island. While there have been more murders in recent times, tourists, including many who return to St Lucia often, do not appear to be daunted.
So what is behind the St Lucia success story? St Lucia’s Director of Tourism Louis Lewis gave Business Day some hints.
“I am happy to say that this boom is as a result of marketing efforts in the past which are bearing fruit,” Louis said this month. In particular, St Lucia has done a lot of research into where tourists come from and has tailored its marketing strategy to suit.
“We do a lot of geo-targeting,” he explained. “We focus on the major regions.” Advertisements about St Lucia can be spotted all over the world.
Additionally, he said, another key component has been the negotiation of airlifts from these specific regions.
“A great deal of effort has been put into negotiating airlifts,” he said.
One example has been the launch of a direct flight from Trinidad to St Lucia. That service, which was launched in the middle of the Carnival season, is already off to a bumpy start, registering low numbers of passengers on flights, notwithstanding promotions.
In addition to the Carnival season dominating Trinidadian’s interests, perhaps one reason why the service is off to a bumpy start is the trend of relatively fewer regional tourists opting to go to St Lucia. That trend is in stark contrast to the booming arrivals originating elsewhere.
Arrivals from the USA, United Kingdom, Canada, France, Germany are up. It’s not hard to understand why. The tourists flock to the beautiful beach fronts, the stunning Pitons, the engaging and lively markets, and the fine dining. Yet, for some reason, arrivals from the Caribbean are notably down.
St Lucia takes tourism seriously. It is its main income earner. St Lucia has a small population of 174,000 or roughly one-tenth of Trinidad and Tobago’s. It’s GDP per capita is around US$6,560 per capita (Trinidad and Tobago’s is US$15,380).
Another secret of the St Lucia tourism trade is the focus on service.
“I think the St Lucian people have a naturally warm disposition,” he said. “But there is also a lot of emphasis on the human aspect of things. A lot of effort is placed into training.”
This attention to detail shows: staff all over the island are warm, courteous and have good knowledge of all the island has to offer.
“A lot of training happens at the level of the establishment. We at the Tourism Board also collaborate with the local hotels and industry partners,” Lewis said. “Even we here at the Tourism Board, from the receptionist right up, have been trained.”
Additionally, there is a high level of quality control with attention paid to evaluating facilities and incorporating recommendations based on feedback.
“There is a continuous survey and the results of that are fed back into the product,” Lewis said.
With all this done to bolster St Lucia’s tourism industry it’s no wonder the island keeps attracting visitors.
Note: Newsday senior journalist Andre Bagoo was recently in St Lucia on special assignment. During his time there, Bagoo filed a series of exclusive stories on issues relating to that island.
click on pic to zoom in
THE GLOBAL economic downturn has affected the tourism industry the world over. Ask anyone in Tobago where hoteliers struggle to fill rooms, restaurant business is relatively slow and generally things seem stagnant.
Yet, currently, St Lucia’s tourism industry is booming. Arrivals for 2010 were at record levels. There were 305, 973 visitors in that year, almost three times the total population. The levels are expected by analysts at the St Lucia Tourism Board to increase by at least two percent in 2011 when the final figures come in.
These numbers are all the more impressive given what some St Lucians regard as record levels of crime on the island. While there have been more murders in recent times, tourists, including many who return to St Lucia often, do not appear to be daunted.
So what is behind the St Lucia success story? St Lucia’s Director of Tourism Louis Lewis gave Business Day some hints.
“I am happy to say that this boom is as a result of marketing efforts in the past which are bearing fruit,” Louis said this month. In particular, St Lucia has done a lot of research into where tourists come from and has tailored its marketing strategy to suit.
“We do a lot of geo-targeting,” he explained. “We focus on the major regions.” Advertisements about St Lucia can be spotted all over the world.
Additionally, he said, another key component has been the negotiation of airlifts from these specific regions.
“A great deal of effort has been put into negotiating airlifts,” he said.
One example has been the launch of a direct flight from Trinidad to St Lucia. That service, which was launched in the middle of the Carnival season, is already off to a bumpy start, registering low numbers of passengers on flights, notwithstanding promotions.
In addition to the Carnival season dominating Trinidadian’s interests, perhaps one reason why the service is off to a bumpy start is the trend of relatively fewer regional tourists opting to go to St Lucia. That trend is in stark contrast to the booming arrivals originating elsewhere.
Arrivals from the USA, United Kingdom, Canada, France, Germany are up. It’s not hard to understand why. The tourists flock to the beautiful beach fronts, the stunning Pitons, the engaging and lively markets, and the fine dining. Yet, for some reason, arrivals from the Caribbean are notably down.
St Lucia takes tourism seriously. It is its main income earner. St Lucia has a small population of 174,000 or roughly one-tenth of Trinidad and Tobago’s. It’s GDP per capita is around US$6,560 per capita (Trinidad and Tobago’s is US$15,380).
Another secret of the St Lucia tourism trade is the focus on service.
“I think the St Lucian people have a naturally warm disposition,” he said. “But there is also a lot of emphasis on the human aspect of things. A lot of effort is placed into training.”
This attention to detail shows: staff all over the island are warm, courteous and have good knowledge of all the island has to offer.
“A lot of training happens at the level of the establishment. We at the Tourism Board also collaborate with the local hotels and industry partners,” Lewis said. “Even we here at the Tourism Board, from the receptionist right up, have been trained.”
Additionally, there is a high level of quality control with attention paid to evaluating facilities and incorporating recommendations based on feedback.
“There is a continuous survey and the results of that are fed back into the product,” Lewis said.
With all this done to bolster St Lucia’s tourism industry it’s no wonder the island keeps attracting visitors.
Note: Newsday senior journalist Andre Bagoo was recently in St Lucia on special assignment. During his time there, Bagoo filed a series of exclusive stories on issues relating to that island.
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