Year of Tourism Expansion

1000 Rooms Being Added.

THE Saint Lucia Tourist Board has announced the addition of new hotel products that will add more than 1,000 new rooms to the island’s inventory in the next few years.

“This hotel boom adds much-needed inventory to meet the demands of our key source markets,” explains Minister for Tourism Dominic Fedee. “Tourism growth remains a priority in 2017 as well as developing new island experiences and events for travellers. We are optimistic that this will be a year of tourism expansion.”

Slated to open this month, the 352-room Royalton Saint Lucia is located on a private cove in Cap Estate. The resort entices families with splash pads and waterslides, supervised kids’ and teens’ clubs featuring daily activities, dining menus designed for children, and more.

The adults-only 104-room Hideaway at Royalton Saint Lucia boasts private infinity pools and an exclusive seafood grill. Other highlights include the Sky Wedding Terrace with views of Pigeon Island where guests can feast on local cuisine at Calypso, a gourmet West Indies venue offering authentic Caribbean dishes, in addition to eight other signature Royalton restaurants and two all-inclusive food trucks.

Serenity at Coconut Bay, Saint Lucia’s new adults-only, luxury all-suite resort, will welcome guests during the first half of the year. The all-inclusive vacation experience will feature a private enclave of 36 spacious suites, each with plunge pools, and attentive butlers providing the highest level of service and discretion.

Scheduled to open in September The Harbour Club on the Rodney Bay Marina will feature 115 four-star accommodations with a choice of suites and a number of amenities that include two restaurants, a bakery, lounges, a full-service spa, gym, pool recreational concept, and 4,000 square feet of meeting and conference space.

Meanwhile, Sandals has announced plans for the brand’s fourth property on Saint Lucia, Sandals LaSource Saint Lucia. Set to break ground in the next few months, the new hotel nestled on 19 acres of land next to the existing Sandals Grande Saint Lucian Resort will offer guests an exotic infinity-edge sky pool bar revealing picturesque views of the island’s north coast, 350 rooms and suites inclusive of the exotic SkyPool Butler Suites, and all-butler signature swim-up Rondoval Suites, a first in the chain.

The Pearl of the Caribbean will occupy a 700-acre site on the south end of the island at Beausejour, Vieux Fort. Plans include a casino, horse racetrack, resort and shopping mall complex, free trade zone, waterfront villas, boathouses, a marina, an eco-tourism zone, entertainment and leisure venues, and housing. The projected $2.6 billion dollar new-build is slated to commence its initial phase in 2017. Phase one will feature 200 hotel rooms and a spa, with up to 500 possible villas as later phases of construction continue.

Island hotels adding rooms to inventory include Fond Doux, Sugar Beach, A Viceroy Resort, and Sandals Halcyon Beach Resort & Spa.

The first of five new cottages at Fond Doux are being completed in the current colonial style of the one-bedroom cottages on the property. Another four cottages will be constructed by the end of 2017, boasting private plunge pools with designs focused on providing an authentic, Saint Lucian experience.In October 2016 Sandals Halcyon Beach Resort & Spa opened 12 newly built suites. The beachfront and garden view honeymoon butler suites feature spacious decks with private plunge pool and access to a personal butler and 24-hour room service.

At Sugar Beach, A Viceroy Resort, seven brand new luxury villas opened at the end of October and an additional three luxury cottages were finished in December.

As far as airlift goes, this has been enhanced with the launch of JetBlue’s Mint Service between New York and Saint Lucia in November 2016 (Saturday service only), which will run through spring 2017. United Airlines is continuing seasonal non-stop service from Chicago O’Hare International Airport with Saturday flights to and from Saint Lucia through April.

Additionally, United Airlines is maintaining seasonal non-stop service on Sundays to and from Saint Lucia via Newark Liberty International Airport to complement its year-round non-stop Saturday service. The Sunday flights are available now through April.

The SLTB said Saint Lucia’s reputation as a sought-after destination was further strengthened by the more than 70 awards and accolades received in 2016. The island and several of its diverse hotel partners were included in Travel & Leisure’s World’s Best List, Condé Nast Traveler’s Readers’ Choice Awards, among many others. And, Saint Lucia was once again recognized as the “Caribbean’s Leading Honeymoon Destination” by the World Travel Awards.

“We are honoured to capture the hearts of so many visitors who help Saint Lucia garner this kind of recognition year after year,” said Minister Fedee. “And, we are grateful for the close working relationships we have with our hotel partners, travel agents, tour operators and airline partners to evolve and enhance the visitor experience for the benefit of all Saint Lucians.”