Fams For Agents on the Way: Saint Lucia Tourism Minister Chats With TravelPulse Canada

Saint Lucia is getting ready to re-open her economy, and fam trips for agents are on the horizon, the island’s Tourism Minister says.

Speaking with TravelPulse Editor-in-Chief John Kirk on Monday for one of our regular Facebook Live One-on-One Chats, Tourism Minister Dominic Fedee said there have been no deaths from COVID-19 on Saint Lucia, and that there are only two active cases.

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Fedee said Saint Lucia acted early, shutting things down at the first threat of a problem.

“My mother wanted to disown me,” he said with a laugh.

The economy has taken a huge hit, and about half the cruise season has been lost. But Fedee said things have improved and that the island is looking at “a small, scaled-down re-opening of the economy.”

“It’s coming along quite nicely, and we should be in a good position by the first or second week of June.”

Fedee, the current chair of the Caribbean Tourism Organization, said Saint Lucia is working hand in hand with other Caribbean countries to rebuild tourism in the region.

“The islands are at varying levels of readiness. I think that we’re ready in Saint Lucia, and you’re going to see us making a big announcement on Friday” as it relates to that.

Saint Lucia will institute a number of changes to ensure healthy conditions for visitors before folks are welcomed back to the island, including masks for hotel workers, increased laundering and social distancing for guests. Service will be scaled-down, “but the beach is still there and is still wonderful. The food is there, the rum is there. All the things you want on a holiday are going to be there, you just have to enjoy them a little more responsibly.”

It won’t be mass tourism, Fedee said, but visiting Saint Lucia will be a “tranquil” and “peaceful” experience.

The minister thanked travel agents for their continuing loyalty to Saint Lucia, and said they’re getting ready for a fam trip “very soon” as the island gradually re-opens.

Visit our Facebook page for the full interview.