Fam trips to the Caribbean island of St Lucia will restart next year as the destination aims to showcase its attractions to the UK trade.
New minister of tourism, Dr Ernest Hilaire, was in the UK this week to attend WTM London, supporting the work of the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority and meeting trade partners.
He told Travel Weekly: “We want to restart fams in 2022, to reacquaint people with the brand and our niches such as romance tourism, and to see what’s new.
“Fams are very important to us to allow partners to have direct contact with the product.”
He said the UK is the second largest market for the island and is currently served by British Airways and Tui.
Virgin Atlantic will start flights on December 18, flying three times a week from Heathrow.
Visitor numbers from the UK have risen steadily since overseas tourism restarted in the summer, with 2,500 arrivals in July and 6,000 in October.
“We had a very impressive October – even better than 2019. [The British] seem to be booking more than ever,” said the minister.
“We expect a bumper winter season and Q1.”
He said increasing numbers was important for the island’s economy but added: “We do not want to get saturated; we do not want to speak just about numbers.
“We want to speak about quality of the product and more emphasis on niches such as diving and romance.
“Sustainability is a big issue for us – and me personally – and not just in the context of climate change.”
He said there are projects on the island to restore and protect habitats such as mangroves, reefs and beaches and more emphasis on nature-based activities such as hiking and birdwatching.
“We are encouraging resorts to adopt more green energy measures, which is critical for us as an island because of changes in the weather, with unpredictable freak storms and rising sea levels,” he added.
Furthermore, holidaymakers are increasingly paying attention to responsible travel issues so more “village tourism” experiences are being developed, he explained.
This will enable holidaymakers to meet local craftspeople and producers to learn about the cuisine and the production of sugar cane, jam, chocolate, herbs and spices, for example.
The government is also supporting St Lucians to improve their homes in order to offer more home stays to overseas visitors.
“We also want to put lots of effort into training people about sustainability, and to make St Lucia more welcoming, warm and hospitable,” he added.
About 80% of staff in the accommodation sector have been vaccinated and health and safety protocols have been introduced for those serving cruise visitors, such as taxi drivers, vendors and tour guides.
“Cruise is important, as a significant percentage of cruise passengers who visit will want to come back if we welcome them well,” he added.
“Cruising won’t be as high as 2019 but it will be significant.”
Commenting on WTM London, he said: “It was good to be back and nice to feel the vibe and energy…after being bottled up for months, it was therapeutic.”