This statement comes after a period of decreased flights and cruise ships following the COVID-19 pandemic. Hilaire, however, says the government is working towards involving locals in enjoying the spoils of the tourism product.

“The flights are back on stream. If you look at the arrival numbers, it’s really peaking. We’re glad that Virgin Atlantic and Air Canada are going to increase further by the end of this year,” Hilaire disclosed. He states the government will continue placing the country’s culture at the forefront of the marketing strategy.

“For us in Saint Lucia, we need to put our soul and personality, our culture into our [tourism product]. We shouldn’t sell Saint Lucia as a shopping place. It has to be a mixture of that and our culture,” he said.

The Minister says the government will introduce new legislation to include more Saint Lucians in the tourism package through the Community Tourism Agency.

“Early next year, we will go to Parliament with the Tourism Development Bill. For us, a key part is putting our people first….it will focus on sustainable tourism and environmental conservation,” he explained.

Hilaire says the government will create laws to provide communities with the resources and infrastructure needed to undertake Community Tourism. “We are already providing resources through the Community Tourism Agency and then we will invest in the infrastructure. We have many projects lined up for next year,” the Minister disclosed. However, he clarified, that he is unable to list the prospective projects.

According to the Community Tourism Agency, its purpose is to “improve access and affordability for financing and develop incentives that will stimulate investment in small tourism businesses.”

The Agency was launched in November 2022.