PUBLIC attention is now focused on the St. Lucia Tourist Board with reports that two of its top executives have resigned. The resignations were confirmed Tuesday at a staff meeting.
“Yes, it’s confirmed. There was a meeting yesterday (Tuesday) with staff that confirmed that,” a source connected with the Tourist Board said when asked whether the resignations were true.
What may have led to the resignations of Tourism Director, Louis Lewis and his deputy Tracy Warner-Arnold are still unknown.
Numerous phone calls to the Tourist Board to speak with either Lewis or Warner-Arnold yesterday were unsuccessful as both were said to be in meetings all morning.
However contact was made with the latter late yesterday afternoon at her office in the Sure Line building at Vide Bouteille via the receptionist who reported that Warner-Arnold had indicated she had “no comment” at the moment. Efforts to contact Lewis were unsuccessful prior to press time yesterday.
Efforts to contact Tourist Board Chairperson Agnes Francis were also unsuccessful. A spokesperson from her office at Accela Marketing in Rodney Bay, Gros Islet said she was off island.
Efforts to contact Tourism Minister Dominic Fedee were also futile.
However there has been no shortage of unofficial reasons for the sudden and unexpected resignations.
The resignations from Lewis and Warner-Arnold come less than two months after both Fedee and Francis had outlined new initiatives to improve the overall effectiveness of the local tourism product that could include transforming the Tourist Board into a new entity to be called the St. Lucia Tourism Authority.
Fedee, at the time, said that a consultant had been hired to check the feasibility of this new entity and to come up with the right framework for its existence.
Another surprising high level resignation to have occurred days ago is that of St. Jude Hospital Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Cherrie Poyotte.
While efforts to contact Dr.Poyotte for a comment were futile, the VOICE understands that he was not all too inclined to speak about his resignation.
A hospital source confirmed that Poyotte had submitted his resignation effective October 19.
He has since been replaced, at least temporarily, by Dr. Carlene Radix.
Looks like Chairman Moa has arrived in St. Lucia. The big purge has began as we strive for the Great Leap. This is one sorry situation. That infatuation with consultants has wreaked havoc in the past. I know precisely where this thing is heading.