Fellow Saint Lucians,
In Part One, I asked a fundamental question: Whose interests does our foreign policy serve?
Today, we must ask another: What can stronger partnerships deliver for Saint Lucia?
Tourism is where diplomacy meets investment, jobs, enterprise and foreign exchange earnings. Our relationships with Western partners should help us capture far more of that opportunity.
In 2024, the Caribbean welcomed approximately 34.2 million stay-over visitors, including 16.8 million from the United States. The region also recorded 33.7 million cruise visits.
Aruba received approximately 1.42 million stay-over visitors, including more than one million Americans. Saint Lucia received 435,659 visitors in total.
France welcomed approximately 100 million international tourists in 2024 and generated €71 billion in international tourism receipts. Yet France is pursuing a target of €100 billion annually by 2030.
Mexico welcomed approximately 45 million international tourists in 2024. Tourism accounted for 8.7 percent of its economy, and Mexico aims to become the world’s fifth most visited country by 2030.
Italy, Germany, Spain, England and the Netherlands are also prioritising tourism to strengthen employment, local production and their wider economies.
These major economies continue to compete for tourism growth. Saint Lucia should be competing too.
France showcases its wine, cheese, fashion, arts and craftsmanship. Mexico showcases tequila, textiles, traditional clothing and art. In both countries, the visitor experience becomes a showroom for local production and a pathway to customers around the world.
How many visitors first discovered Bounty rum or Saint Lucian chocolate because they came here?
These experiences introduce products that visitors might otherwise never encounter. They can take those products home, recommend them to others and buy them again.
More tourists mean more opportunities for exposure. But lasting sales require quality, attractive packaging, reliable distribution and easy reordering.
That connection must be deliberate.
We need local products in our hotels, restaurants, airports and attractions. We need contracts for farmers, fishers and manufacturers. We need customers for our designers, artists and creative entrepreneurs.
These linkages keep more tourism spending in Saint Lucia. They strengthen local ownership and give young people pathways into skilled careers and enterprise.
Being the best hosts does not mean being subservient. We can welcome visitors on our terms—proud of our culture and confident in our identity.
In opposition, those now governing failed to understand that connection. Today, they are changing their story, but their policies are still failing to deliver.
We must develop our own authentic tourism product.
That is why village tourism mattered. It was about building infrastructure in our villages so Saint Lucians could invest, create businesses and give our arts and culture greater exposure.
They have replaced the term “village tourism” with “community tourism.” But changing the name does not deliver the substance.
In my view, they have never understood what building a proper village tourism product requires.
A competitive destination needs reliable utilities, good roads, efficient airports, strong air connections, excellent service and public safety.
Marketing cannot compensate for weaknesses in those foundations.
Our diplomacy must support this work. Airlines, travel companies and investors all benefit from a successful Saint Lucian tourism sector. We should negotiate around those shared interests.
Preclearance must be negotiated through a strategic partnership with the United States—one built on cooperation and mutual benefit.
Aruba, the Bahamas and Bermuda already have preclearance, demonstrating that such arrangements are possible in the Caribbean.
Stronger border security serves America. Easier travel supports Saint Lucia. We must remain consistent in making that case.
Preclearance could be a game changer.
American travellers would complete U.S. entry formalities here, making their connections home smoother. Airlines could use less expensive domestic gates and reach more U.S. airports, reducing operating costs.
But we must negotiate workable arrangements for funding, staffing and facilities.
Stronger air links, reciprocal investment opportunities and access to overseas markets should also be central objectives of our foreign policy.
Credible border controls, decisive action on crime and a trustworthy citizenship programme will protect our negotiating position and strengthen our credibility.
Saint Lucia’s opportunity extends beyond bringing visitors here.
It includes taking our products, our creativity and our enterprise to the world.