| Journal: TWUK | Section: |
| Title: | Issue Date: 17/04/00 |
| Author: | Page Number: 39 |
| Copyright: Other |
New policy
St Lucia initiative to boost UK training budget
The St Lucia Tourist Board has doubled this year’s budget for training agents following the directive of its newly appointed tourism minister.Menissa Rambally, the youngest-ever minister at just 24 years old, sees educating agents as the most cost-effective way of promoting the Caribbean island destination.
St. Lucia Tourist Board director Hilary Modeste said: “The best way to reach the consumer is always through the travel agent.”
The educational budget for the UK this year is $2m, up from $1m last year. Much of the budget is being spent on sending 150 agents on familiarisation tours and on educating 200 agents through the tourist board in the UK.
“We always make educationals an integral part of the training because clients like to know they are speaking to someone who knows the product,” said Modeste.
Visitor numbers from the UK last year were 71,000, up from 62,000 in 1998. The minister would like to increase those numbers another 13% over this year.