The SLTA – Saint Lucia Tourism Authority’s UK Showcase provided the ideal preface for many key industry meetings with travel partners and the media. During the week of September 10 – 14, 2018, Saint Lucia tourism officials headed by Minister of Tourism, Information and Broadcasting, Hon. Dominic Fedee conducted face to face meetings with officials from the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA). Saint Lucia officials had two update meetings: the first was with ABTA’s head of media, Sean Tipton; and the second, with the organisation’s head of destinations and sustainability, Nikki White. Topics during the meetings included the impact of Brexit on tourism and the growing trends for British holidaymakers such as sustainable tourism.
Speaking on the Importance of the UK visit and showcase Acting Chief Executive Officer and Chief Marketing Officer of the SLTA – Saint Lucia Tourism Authority, Tiffany Howard stated “the UK is our second largest market and we are encouraged by its continued growth. There is a strong connection with the destination and as trends move toward more authentic experiences we know that our village tourism project will fill that growing demand.”
Saint Lucia also hosted a UK media lunch at Daphne’s, Kensington with twenty-five prominent media houses in attendance including; The Telegraph, The Times, National Geographic, Hello! Magazine and Wisden magazine. Minister Fedee also had an interview with Ben Gardner of Wisden discussing the upcoming English cricket team’s tour of the West Indies in February and March of 2019. Hon. Fedee also participated in a magazine radio programme on Colourful Radio – one of London’s most popular commercial radio stations for people of colour – focusing on why Britons should visit Saint Lucia. The Telegraph also conducted an interview with the Tourism Minister on the new airport developments. The press was provided with an Island Update, which highlighted recent developments across the tourism sector and gave an outlook on Saint Lucia’s tourism product for 2019.
Latest year-to-date stayover arrivals figures as at July 2018 show the UK market up 7% from 2017. The Saint Lucia tourism contingent also conducted two other important trade sessions. The first was a Meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (M.I.C.E) buyer networking session on Monday, September 10, 2018 where destination officials presented to potential clients and had a chance to have one-on-one interactions. The second trade event was an appreciation dinner with senior airline officials and tour operators on the evening of September 11.
