The top 10 UK sellers of St Lucia holidays were recognised at an award ceremony held by the island’s tourist board at the weekend.
They were among 35 top sellers from key markets, which also included the US, Canada, Ireland and the Caribbean.
The 2022 Global Piton Awards, organised by the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority (SLTA), featured a cocktail reception at the prime minister’s official residence on the island followed by an award ceremony at Sandals Grande St Lucian.
The awards celebrate the support of the top 35 trade partners for their bookings of least 400 room nights within the last two-and-a-half years, booked through the Saint Lucia Expert (SLEx) Programme.
Trish Hockin (Tropic Breeze) received the Chairman’s Award for Excellence in Sales for the top-selling tour operator in the UK & Ireland, while Sheila Sparkes (Holidaysplease) won the Minister of Tourism Award for exceptional sales performance in the UK & Ireland.
Lorine Charles St Jules, SLTA chief executive, said: “At a time when Saint Lucia looks to tourism as the main economic driver, our travel agents and operators placed their confidence in us.
“A major part of our success and global tourism prominence is due to their continued selling of our island’s offerings. We are delighted to express our most heartfelt appreciation.”
UK winners:
1 Trish Hockin (Tropic Breeze)
2 Lindsey Hayes (BA Holidays)
3 Darren Liddle (BA Holidays)
4 John Longstaff (BA Holidays)
5 Lucy Case (BA Holidays)
6 Sheila Sparkes (Holidaysplease)
7 Lisa Drake (Hays Travel)
8 Paul Salisbury (Guru Travel Group)
9 Gilly Bachelor (Not Just Travel)
10 Gaynor Davies (Chester Travel Connection)