An evening of honour reminded tourism service providers of the important value they contribute to the overall brand promise of Destination Saint Lucia.
Under the auspices of Tourism Minister-Hon. Dr. Ernest Hilaire and the Ministry of Tourism, the Board of Directors, and staff of the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority (SLTA), recognised service providers who were deemed ‘Saint Lucia’s best’ in the Caribbean category of the 28th Annual World Travel Awards.
The inaugural award event celebrated, rewarded, and encouraged excellence across the industry. As a destination, Saint Lucia was honoured to have captured the ‘Caribbean’s Leading Honeymoon Destination’ title for 2021. This win represents the island’s eighth consecutive title and twelfth overall, in that category.
Speaking at the event, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority – Thaddeus M. Antoine, pledged the continued commitment of his team noting; “as an Authority we are committed to fulfilling the mandate of creating strong demand for Saint Lucia in the global marketplace, and to stimulate sustainable development. In doing so, we complement the work of the Ministry of Tourism in eliminating the challenges and ineptitudes that impede the development of the sector, and strive towards building resilient tourism infrastructure, stimulate inclusivity, help build sustainable brands and foster innovation.”
The awards were bestowed to Leading Car Rental Company – Thrifty; Leading Beach Resort- Marigot Bay Resort, Spa & Marina; Leading Hotel- Rabot Hotel by Hotel Chocolat; Leading Resort- Sandals Grande St. Lucian; Leading Destination Management Company – Barefoot Holidays; Leading Tour Operator- Spice Travel & Tours and Leading Travel Agency- Going Places Travel.
Adding his voice to the occasion, Tourism Minister-Hon. Dr. Ernest Hilaire congratulated the awardees and encouraged them to continue to strive for service excellence. “We know much hard work has been done in the past by yourselves and other administrators, but we cannot become complacent,, neither can we assume that we have already arrived because we’ve won a few awards. We need to challenge ourselves to be even better, every single time, and as we strive for that excellence, we want to call on all of you, our stakeholders, to join us as we chart the way forward where Saint Lucia can be even better recognised.”
These prestigious titles add value to the efforts of the Tourism Authority in keeping with the promise of integrating the brand’s concept into our local communities, welcoming visitors to enjoy Saint Lucia as if they are at home and more importantly adds value and a voice to the development of smaller providers.”
Saint Lucia, along with several service providers, are hoping to be named as winners
in the World category of the 28th Annual World Travel Awards, which will be announced on December 16.