Saint Lucia, Marigot Bay.
Stay-over arrivals for June 2019 peaked at 34,040, up 9% from June of last year. This means year to date (YTD) growth has increased 6.5%; up from 6.1% last month. This figure also marked the 5th record breaking month for the year.
CASTRIES, SAINT LUCIA – Saint Lucia tourism officials remain optimistic over signs of a continued growth trajectory. At the halfway point of 2019, current figures indicate an increase in visitor arrivals to the island with significant growth from Canada, The United States, and Germany.
Stay-over arrivals for June 2019 peaked at 34,040, up 9% from June of last year. This means year to date (YTD) growth has increased 6.5%; up from 6.1% last month. This figure also marked the 5th record breaking month for the year.
Contributing to the growth were increases from the island's main source markets. Canada saw an increase of 20%, the United States increased by 17%, Germany saw an increase of 31%, the rest of Europe 9%, and the Caribbean 7%.
"The growth can be attributed to multiple factors, among them is the increased airlift from the US, which can be directly attributed to a second daily flight by American Airlines out of Miami with an additional 5,264 seats,²" remarked Beverly Nicholson-Doty -Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority (SLTA) ³. "JetBlue from JFK and Boston also saw an increase with additional seats added to the route."
Airlift out of Canada increased with an additional 256 seats from West Jet and Air Canada combined. The (SLTA) also worked with Caribbean Airlines and British Airways to offer lower airfares from Trinidad.
Other contributing factors include hosting of a series of events which attracted regional travellers for football competitions as well as a music concert featuring Jamaican reggae musician Sizzla Kalonji.
Nicholson-Doty says, "Saint Lucia looks well poised to meet and surpass the record 1.2 million visitors it welcomed in 2018. There are several new and exciting destination marketing initiatives still to be rolled out in 2019, in addition to the airlines beginning their fall and winter service."
Vicky is the co-founder of TravelDailyNews Media Network where she is the Editor-in Chief. She is also responsible for the daily operation and the financial policy. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Tourism Business Administration from the Technical University of Athens and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Wales.
She has many years of both academic and industrial experience within the travel industry. She has written/edited numerous articles in various tourism magazines.
