RECENT tourism numbers for Saint Lucia reflect “a gloomy picture” with year-to-date statistics compiled by the Saint Lucia Tourist Board (SLTB) indicating there was an overall 11.7% decline in the sector’s performance.
That was the word coming from Minister for Tourism, Dominic Fedee, as he introduced the new Board of Directors at the SLTB at a press conference held there on Thursday morning.
Fedee said stay-over arrivals declined by 1.1% when compared on a year-to-date basis, with the average night visitors spent at hotels declining by 7%. Additionally, cruise arrivals declined by 16.2%.
“(This) is very troublesome and worrisome to me as the new Tourism Minister taking on this responsibility,” Fedee lamented. “The cruise arrivals paint an even more frightening picture. In fact, the cruise numbers have not improved from their earlier signs of dwindling.”
Fedee said no reliable figures for the yachting sector were available at the time, lamenting that a more precise system needs to be implemented to track such figures and trends.
“This points to the fact that after several years of being a yachting destination, we still have no perfect way – or scientific or clinical method – of receiving figures as it pertains to this most important sector to our country.”
The Minister said most of Saint Lucia’s major market segments are indicating declines, with some showing even “steeper” declines. The cruise sector, he said, has been losing its competitive edge.
“The cruise industry is very worried about the product that Saint Lucia continues to offer,” Fedee stated. “In fact, the product has become so sterile that when I met with the FCCA (Florida Caribbean Cruise Association), they indicated that Saint Lucia has lost its competitiveness, fervor and vibrancy within the cruise industry.”
Fedee said Saint Kitts and Nevis, over which Saint Lucia had a commanding lead in cruise numbers, has now surpassed Saint Lucia by “hundreds of thousands”. He attributed Saint Lucia’s loss of that market share to “a lack of real strategy and a clear understanding of which industry should have taken the lead” to develop the cruise sector.
Fedee’s comments come following a series of positive figures released by the SLTB over the past few months indicating that the island was recording impressive figures and showing signs of further positive growth.
Management consultant and veteran tourism industry expert, Agnes Francis, will chair the new 12-member Board, with Leathon Khan serving as Deputy Chairman. Other members of the Board include SLHTA President, SanovnikDestang; banker Celestin Laurent; Carmelita Xavier; attorney Mark Maraj; SLHTA’s Director for Large Hotels, Winston Anderson; Erwin Louisy; Mark Adams; the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism (to be named shortly); and Louis Lewis.
Fedee said the new Board will be responsible for transitioning the SLTB from being just a marketing and events arm to a new entity, the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority so as to create greater synergy between marketing and development. While expressing confidence in the new Board, he acknowledged the daunting task they now bear.
“The work for this Board is one that is very difficult,” Fedee said. “(The Board) is coming in at a time when the industry faces one of its most difficult periods.”
Francis becomes the first female chairperson of the Saint Lucia Tourist Board (SLTB). She previously served as the first female Director of Tourism. She said that while the task seems daunting, the new Board will work hard to deliver a fresh agenda for the island’s tourism product.
“We need to look at a streamlining of the marketing so that it is more in keeping with what the global industry is looking for,” Francis said.
While Saint Lucia has benefited from the “strong platform” as a result of its heavy focus on the wedding and honeymoon market, Francis said other niche markets need to be explored so as to widen the island’s marketing reach and improve on its brand. She cited the heritage tourism, culinary and sports sectors as examples which need a closer look.
Francis said a new structure for the government’s involvement and institutional support for the tourism sector is a key area the new Board will need to explore. With the new Tourism Authority set to become a reality, she said a more focused strategy will need to be adopted to ensure that the sector redounds to the benefit of all stakeholders.
“It will require us understanding what the market needs are and, based on that, determine how best it is we can be as responsive as possible and provide the backward linkages to the economy to ensure that tourism does benefit the local economy,” Francis explained.
The tourism minister said tourism needs to become a real driving force for the island to recover from the economic crunch it has been facing for some time now. Unimpressive gross domestic product (GDP) figures over the past five years, he said, have resulted in Saint Lucia’s fiscal situation becoming “dire”.
Fedee said the local tourism sector needs to grow by 10% over the next seven to eight years in order to restore positive growth to the economy. He also reiterated calls for greater collaborations between the public and private sectors.
“We believe that all is not lost. Saint Lucia is still a destination with enormous potential. It’s just the time for us to refocus and re-strategize,” Fedee said.
WHEN I BECOME PRIME LIAR IN CHIEF, I WILL IMMEDIATELY REDUCE THE PRICE ON ALL PETROLEUM PRODUCTS AND I WILL ABOLISH THE DREADFUL VALUE ADDED TAXES.
EVERY HOME WILL HAVE FREE RUNNING WATER BECAUSE KENNY WAS CHARGING OUTRAGEOUS PRICES FOR WATER AND GASOLINE
I WILL IMMEDIATELY ABOLISH THE FEES FOR ALL MEDICAL CHARGES AT HOSPITAL
I WILL RETURN THE BANANA INDUSTRY TO THE PROSPERITY OF THE SEVENTIES.
YOU WILL NO LONGER NEED VISAS TO TRAVEL TO AMERICA SINCE I WILL IMMEDIATELY STOP THE U.S.A. FROM DEPORTING THOUSANDS OF CRIMINALS BACK TO ST. LUCIA.
I WILL IMMEDIATELY ABOLISH THE REGISTRATION FEE ON MOTOR VEHICLES AND THERE WILL BE GRASS BEHIND THE GRASS.
ALLEN CHASTANET
Jehovah’s Witnesses Hold Two Conventions
Make sure you pick up that other poop head….enjoy
“Fedee said Saint Kitts and Nevis, over which Saint Lucia had a commanding lead in cruise numbers, has now surpassed Saint Lucia by “hundreds of thousands”. He attributed Saint Lucia’s loss of that market share to “a lack of real strategy and a clear understanding of which industry should have taken the lead” to develop the cruise sector.”
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One of the contributing factors to the decline of the cruise sector here in St.Lucia has to be the fact that Phillip J. Pierre and his boss Kenny Anthony ditched the agreement that was reached between Royal Caribbean International and the UWP back in 2011 (an agreement that had promised to make Port Castries the cruise capital of the eastern and southern Caribbean).
Phillip J. Pierre, in particular, didn’t like one of partners to the agreement, so he promised to replace that partner with a new one; five years later, with Port Castries looking more and more like a war zone, we are being told that we have been surpass by Saint Kitts and Nevis.
What a loss for St.Lucia; what a loss; and those two clowns – Pierre and Kenny – are still in parliament.
“Fedee said the new Board will be responsible for transitioning the SLTB from being just a marketing and events arm to a new entity, the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority .”
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Changing the name from the SLTB to the SLTA is just window dressing; superficial as superficial can be.
Fedee, with new Sandals Resorts in Grenada and Barbados; just minutes from their respective airports; how on earth can St.Lucia compete with its international airport at a disadvantage two hours away from the Sandals Resorts here in St.Lucia?
When 99% of your stay over visitors complain about the long and horrible drive from the International airport to the north of the island, you should, at least, be thinking outside the box; but here you are applying a band-aid (a name change) to a serious problem.
The UWP is most definitely trying to MANAGE a very difficulty industry at a very difficult juncture in these hard economic times. But always remember this: management is one thing. Leadership is quite another.
Do not be dismissive. This is not an issue of semantics. Both in industry and government, tittle holders are REQUIRED to BOTH … lead, and manage!
In these parts, we conflate the two because our leaders manage (barely, poorly, badly, and recklessly), but they forget to put the leadership instruments in play.
But we also know that:
“Some managers manage.
Some manage [somehow] to manage.
And some … they are not managing at all.” (Anonymous)
When will our so-called leaders ever begin to understand how to develop people, instead of developing tourism?
Let us go at it at least one more time. It might perhaps sink in.
“When will our so-called leaders ever begin to understand how to develop people, instead of developing tourism?”
There is a gargantuan difference in the two perspective. One is long-term. The other is short-term.
We, with this blind sighted focus are developing and reinforcing the idea of Saint Lucia as a one-note samba economy. Perversely, we are making our future more precarious and vulnerable, while we only cater largely to the production and employment of maids and gardeners, that are little more than cannon fodder for the sanctions, and country alerts from overseas markets.
Meanwhile, our criminals see each tourist as a potential payday. The hotels with a “guaranteed” lower tax rate see profits ahoy! Our police are overwhelmed with the “professional” Grave Yard types.
Without credible monitoring of any kind multiplier for us regarding tourism, officialdom boringly laments about the tourism numbers and not the tourism economic impact of the tourist spend. That is all we see and hear about tourism.
Nobody appears to have the skills nor the concern to see “the big picture”.
Would a wise people tolerate this cockeyed approach to national development — without ESTABLISHING viable alternatives? Would they?
I keep telling you, your room rates are way too high!
On my way to St Lucia for the first time and am bringing a group from the US. I have been wanting to visit for years. I have to AGREE with Buff Jackson, the room rates are very high! Awe started out with 21 people and now way less are coming. I hope it will be worth it!
Already tete sek is bull shutting. In all that came out of his snout he said nothing. Why did he not indicate the period he was referring to? Somewhere down the line I expect you to try another matayass.