Saint Lucia’s tourism industry is poised for significant growth over the next 18 months, with Louis Lewis, CEO of the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority (SLTA), predicting the island’s fastest expansion in years.
Lewis shared this outlook during his speech at the annual Global Piton Awards on Saturday, June 13.
He said the island is getting ready for a major increase in hotel rooms and new tourism projects.
“There are some new things that are coming to market. We are having additional rooms. It’s the quickest growth period that we are going to have in the next eighteen months,” Lewis said.
He said Saint Lucia expects a 20% increase in hotel rooms, which will allow the island to welcome more visitors.
“We have been looking at somewhere in the range of about 20% increase in our number of rooms, so that we have the capacity to be able to host more of our visitors,” he said.
Lewis also said that tourism in Saint Lucia is changing in other ways, not just by adding more rooms.
Saint Lucia is well known as a top spot for honeymoons and weddings, but Lewis said the country is now also focusing on wellness tourism to attract more visitors.
“We’re not going to lose it, but we are adding wellness as well, and we are seeing some growth in that direction,” he explained.
Lewis pointed out that after COVID-19, more travellers are seeking experiences that focus on health, wellness and connection with local culture.
“People are looking for more immersive, integrative, authentic experiences and coming out of COVID we have heightened awareness of our own wellness; people are travelling to immerse themselves in destinations, and we are providing that product,” he said.
Lewis also talked about the growing focus on community-based tourism. He mentioned government efforts to create new experiences and get visitors involved beyond just staying at resorts.
One new project to boost Saint Lucia’s tourism is the creation of three underwater sculpture parks.
Lewis said these parks will feature about 300 underwater sculptures, some much larger than life-size.
According to him, the attraction will tell Saint Lucia’s story through art while also promoting sustainability and environmental care.
“That is where you get to see Saint Lucia’s story, not just the history of how we’ve come to where we are but what we are doing with regard to sustainability and environmental preservation,” Lewis said.
He added that even though Saint Lucia is a small nation, it is working to help protect the environment worldwide by offering new and creative tourism experiences.
