(TAN): The Caribbean island of Saint Lucia hosted a total of 423,736 stayover visitors in 2019, the highest in its history, reports said.
It was the first time that the nation crossed the 400,000 mark in stayover arrivals during a year, as per reports. The growth reportedly indicated it accommodated 100,000 additional visitors in nine years, a surge of 38%.
“We have broken a record for the first time in the history of recording tourism statistics in our country. We have recorded over 400,000 stayover arrivals,” Minister of Tourism, Information and Broadcasting, Dominic Fedee, was quoted by The Voice as saying.
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Moreover, the destination reportedly created another record by attracting 7% more stayover tourists than the previous year.
According to reports, increase in airlift especially from the United States market contributed to much of the growth, accounting for 45% or nearly 191,0000 of total stayover tourist arrivals during the year.
The Caribbean, that sent 20% of Saint Lucia’s total stayover tourists, served as the island’s second biggest market, reports said. The United Kingdom and Canada reportedly followed with 19% and 10%, respectively.
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The Saint Lucia Tourism Authority reportedly said the growth in arrivals caused “tremendous benefit to the tourism industry” which in turn helped the entire economy of the island, as it meant “increased bed-nights, meaning more persons stayed in paid accommodation, required taxi services and enjoyed the natural sites, attractions and cuisine that the island has to offer and thereby, created more job opportunities for the local population”.
Fedee reportedly said sustaining the sector’s growth was more crucial that just improving numbers.
“We are not simply interested in increasing numbers but more importantly ensuring that the growth trajectory of the industry is sustainable and that it touches every facet of economic development leading to employment creation and income generation for our people. External reports also indicate that although Saint Lucia has one of the highest Average Daily Rates in the region, we continue to be in high demand, which only augurs well for the revenue generation capability of the destination,” eTurboNews quoted him as saying.
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“We are extremely proud of this achievement as it clearly is the result of strong industry leadership, coupled with well thought out and targeted marketing policies and programs, that result in employment generation for thousands of Saint Lucians either on the front lines of the hospitality industry or indirectly via related industries. Surpassing the 400,000 visitor-arrival threshold truly is a fitting way to conclude the island’s recognition of its 40th year of Independence,” he added.
Saint Lucia, an Eastern Caribbean island nation, is home to volcanic beaches, reef-diving sites and fishing villages.
