St Lucia broke its tourism arrival records last year, with the total number of visitors climbing to an all-time high of 1,105,541. It also recorded the highest growth in 2017 among Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) member countries, recording an 11 per cent increase.
2017 was characterized by sustained growth in the industry, with stayover arrivals at 386,127 and the cruise sector recording a 14 per cent increase, reaching 669,217, an additional 81,264 visitors despite the eight-month closure of the Pointe Seraphine Berth 1.
“The tourism industry continues to be an incredibly important and vital part of the St Lucian economy,” Minister of Tourism Information and Broadcasting Dominic Fedee said. “We are happy with the levels of growth witnessed and as we continue our marketing efforts, we as well look to maximizing the impact of tourism on our economy.”
The St Lucia Tourism Authority worked assiduously with the CTO and trade partners to overcome the indirect challenges faced by Hurricanes Irma and Maria, ensuring all markets that the destination was safe and available for travel.
At the close of 2017, the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) in Travel Trends Report for 2018, the most important document issued in the UK travel industry, selected St Lucia as one of the top 12 destinations for 2018.