Saint Lucia marks 52% surge in visitors from United States

It is a significant growth for the tourism sector of Saint Lucia that the country saw an influx of visitors from the United States of America with a 52% month-on-month increase in July 2024. This surge in the arrival of visitors from the US has positioned it as the leading market for tourism in the island nation.

The Tourism Minister of Saint Lucia, Dr Ernest Hilaire expressed excitement and stated that this remarkable growth in the arrival of US visitors has played a huge role in bringing significant tourism boost, welcoming 41,476 visitors, marking an increase of 32% as compared to July 2023.

While shedding light on this crucial growth in the tourism sector of Saint Lucia, the tourism minister noted that this surge is attributed to the vibrant Lucian Carnival which played a huge role in attracting large number of tourists, which not only helped in enhancing the tourism sector but also promoting the vibrant culture and traditions of the country.

Along with that, the Minister also shed light on the introduction of an American Airlines second daily flight from Miami and an additional JetBlue daily flight from New York. He noted that these new services were also one of the highlighting reasons for the growth in the tourism sector.

He further remarked that these services by the airlines emphasised on the commitment of the airlines towards enhancing air connectivity and easing travel options for visitors travelling to Saint Lucia.

The tourism minister continued to say that the UK, Caribbean and Canada markets have also shown notable increases which highlights that Saint Lucia is leading towards becoming the premier destination among all the travellers.

The Minister added that they will continue to make stringent and developmental strategies in order to ensure that the tourism department of the country continues to excel in the future.

The American Airlines will also start operating its non-stop services from 7^th December from New York to Saint Lucia. Focussing on this, the tourism minister stated that these expansion in the services will play a pivotal role in leading to further growth in the tourism sector in the coming years.

The Tourism Minister, Dr Ernest Hilaire also expressed about welcoming not only international travellers but also visitors from other Caribbean nations. He highlighted about the inaugural flight of LIAT20 from Antigua and Barbuda to Saint Lucia.

He stated LIAT 20 has been a vital lifeline for the Caribbean and its services will play a huge role in bringing several passengers to the country, enhancing not only tourism but also fostering regional connectivity and improving economic conditions of Saint Lucia.