UK-St Lucia link set to add to tourism economy

St Lucian tourism is ready for a boost from one of its main markets after the first weekly Dreamliner service arrived from London.

Last week 300 passengers arrived on the inaugural flight to Hewannorra International Airport, which was greeted by an delegation comprised of officials from the Ministry of Tourism, the St Lucia Tourist Board and the St Lucia Hotel and Tourism Association, Nexus Tours.

There were also representatives from Thomson's parent company, TUI Group.

Passengers were treated to steel pans music and cocktail to celebrate the event.

Leathon Khan, deputy chairman of the St Lucia Tourist Board, told crowds that he was proud that St Lucia was the first destination in the eastern Caribbean for this service.

He said: “The UK market is an important one for St Lucia. In 2016, we welcomed just over 64,400 Britons to our shores, and in 2017 we anticipate significant growth in this market, with your weekly flight out of London Gatwick sure to be a strong contributing factor”.

Thomson is one of the UK’s most well-known holiday brands. The weekly flight will bring an estimated 9,000 additional passengers to the island this year with the service to continue into 2018.

The new service is in direct response to the growth in St Lucia’s tourism accommodation stock.

“We’re optimistic that for 2017/2018 we will see significant growth," added Khan.

"I’m also told that this flight took in roughly 300 new passengers, and if we can sustain those numbers every week then we’re looking at over 15,000 new passengers to St Lucia over the next year.

"That, by any measure, is very significant, and is good news for our taxi drivers, hotels, and tour operators."

St Lucia and Barbados are the only islands in the Eastern Caribbean currently hosting TUI Thomson flights.