Govt works to expand flights to Saint Lucia for peak summer season: Dr Hilaire

Saint Lucia: Tourism Minister Ernest Hilaire has revealed plans that the ministry is working to extend flight schedules in preparation for the busting tourism season in Saint Lucia.

The Ministry aims to accommodate the anticipated increase of visitors who will be visiting the island nation to enjoy the vibrant festivals, including the Jazz Festival.

These plans were disclosed during a press conference on January 9. The Minister said that the aircraft for these flights will be a 162-seater. This is to provide ample capacity for the demand to be fulfilled during the peak summer season from May to September.

The Minister outlined, "This development shows a significant increase in available seats while opening new opportunities for travellers to choose Saint Lucia as their preferred destination."

During the conference, Minister Hilaire also addressed the challenges experienced during the last Jazz Festival. He said that he informed the airlines about the difficulties of managing the rising number of arrivals in the island nation.

The Minister assured that the airlines are committed to preserving their services for post-Jazz events to assist the departing visitors. He added, "We made it clear to them that they really have to bring in more service to the island because of the huge surge and they are saying to us when on their system, they are seeing the demand for Saint Lucia."

Minister Ernest Hilaire noted that despite the high prices for the tickets to Saint Lucia, the demand is still above than the supply.

In addition to this, he also provided major insights into the upcoming Tourism Development Bill. The Minister said that the government believes that the tourism industry's benefits should reach as many Saint Lucians as possible.

He added that the Ministry is working to create a framework in the country where more citizens can participate and own the tourism industry.

"We need to move away from the notion which still exists in Saint Lucians, and to some extent, it is true that tourism really belongs to a few," he added.

Dr Hilaire underscored the importance of providing support to community tourism agencies, enabling citizens to invest in the industry.

He said that the Tourism Development Bill would change the entire framework. As it stands now, the incentives legislation is primarily for accommodation. "We want to be able to offer incentives to all sectors in the industry," said the Minister.

He also said that in the structure of the tourism industry, the big accommodations are usually for in-own, with a couple of family hotels. At the bottom, where most Saint Lucians participate, there are no incentives. "We're going to change it," he vowed.

Additionally, the Tourism Minister expressed optimism about the bill's potential to ensure that Saint Lucians at all levels receive support to become stakeholders in the tourism industry.