Ten students have been selected to compete for an opportunity to represent Saint Lucia at the upcoming Tourism Youth Congress, slated for later this year.
The Ministry of Tourism and Creative Industries have completed the preliminary rounds of the 2024 National Tourism Public Speaking Competition.
According to the organisers, this allows participants an opportunity to showcase their personalities, national pride and passion for the tourism sector. The process involved submitting a two-minute video expressing what makes them uniquely Saint Lucian.
Following deliberations held by a five-member judging panel on March 22, the ministry announced the top ten finalists for this highly anticipated public speaking competition.
The top ten students are as follows: Georgia Estava (Leon Hess Comprehensive Secondary School), Melanie Paul (Clendon Mason Memorial Secondary School), Rosemary Edmunds (Sir Ira Simmons Secondary School), Ashmeade Joseph (Corinth Secondary School), Broxton Joseph (Soufriere Secondary School ), Kursel Amedee (Vieux Fort Comprehensive Secondary School), Finella Albert (Castries Comprehensive Secondary School), Ira Ernest (LHCSS), Zilita Jordan (St Joseph’s Convent) and Vincentia Bridgewater (LHCSS).
The winner of the National Tourism Public Speaking competition will earn the prestigious title of Junior Minister of Tourism 2024/2025, exciting prizes, and also an opportunity to represent Saint Lucia regionally at the 2024 Tourism Youth Congress, to be held in the Cayman Islands, in September.
The final round of the competition is scheduled for May 16.
Meanwhile, earlier this year, in a lead-up to the final rounds, the Ministry of Tourism concluded a two-week sensitization drive (February 26-March 7) at various secondary schools across the island.
The educational drive was geared to spark interest among students ages 14 to 17 to participate in the competition.
A ministry of tourism spokesperson stated that the competition will showcase talent and skills, which will contribute towards the Ministry’s mission of empowering and motivating youth for the next generation of tourism leaders.