Cruise association highlights importance of ‘selling team St Lucia’

The cruise sub-sector needs to play a significant part in St Lucia’s economy, the minister of tourism has said.

And Dominic Fedee believes the country has the opportunity to go back to drawing board to smooth any issues.

The minister was speaking after a meeting with the Florida Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA) and local cruise sector representatives.

They discussed a number of topics, including trends within the cruise sector, safety and security, improving the cruise destination for visitors as well as a discussion on St Lucia’s tourism product.

“Our meeting was very successful in that we received a lot of good information, in terms of how the destination is performing, from FCCA,” said Fedee.

He pledged to addressed problems that “have stymied that competitiveness so badly, to create that dominance and to maintain the Caribbean as one of the leading cruise destinations in the world”.

Michelle Paige, CEO of the FCCA, said the most important asset for the country was keeping St Lucia unique.

“What sets Saint Lucia apart? This is part of the message that we encourage every single stakeholder that meets and greets any cruise passenger, cruise member, any visitor to St Lucia to know,” she said.

“To be able to impact everything that sets St Lucia apart, whether it’s seeing attractions, the beauty of the beaches, the wonderful cuisine, the hotels, the people... every single thing that makes St Lucia tick.”

‘Village tourism’

Fedee announced at the meeting that the St Lucia government was at an advanced stage of establishing a national tourism council.

The purpose of the council, he said, would be to ensure all relevant partners were on board at a high level to make vital decisions to move the industry forward.

The minister also emphasised the importance village tourism.

“For example, the man living in Laborie must understand the pottery he is doing plays a significant role in the development of the product that is Saint Lucia,” he said.

“Or the man who is making bread in Dennery is very unique and must understand that it carries a potential for the development of tourism.”