A high level delegation led by Tourism Minister Lorne Theophilus, currently en route to CHTA Marketplace underway this weekend on Paradise Island in the Bahamas, held a series of talks with several industry partners in the airline and cruise industries.

At a Thursday January 19^th meeting, the team paid a courtesy call on American Airlines’ senior executives Peter Dolara and Gary Alfson.

Minister Theophilus expressed his and Saint Lucia’s gratitude for the long standing commitment and support of American Airlines at helping to shape and sustain the industry’s growth path not only in Saint Lucia but the wider region.

Flanked on one side by his Permanent Secretary Titus Preville, incoming Chairman of the Board Matthew Beaubrun and on the other by Director of Tourism Louis Lewis and Vice President of Marketing and Sales Nerdin St. Rose, Minister Theophilus noted that AA is “a valued partner.”

He added that “American Airlines has undoubtedly contributed immensely to the record levels of arrivals we have seen from key gateways out of the US. My team and I eagerly look forward to building on that collaboration in 2012 and beyond”.

Mr. Dolara welcomed the opportunity to meet and hold initial talks with not only the newly appointed Minister, but to dialogue and cement ties with other tourism decision makers, among them Matthew Beaubrun, who now serves as Chairman of the Saint Lucia Tourist Board.

Further discussions on AA’s relationship with and service to Saint Lucia are to continue over the next few weeks.

Brian Louisy, Executive Director, St Lucia Chamber of Commerce, Industry & Agriculture

LIME has helped to showcase the 2012 St. Lucia Business Awards to the world. The company is a major sponsor of the awards, which are held annually and organized by the St Lucia Chamber of Commerce. They are designed to recognize companies and organizations that have achieved excellence in all key areas of business operations. This year’s awards ceremony was held at the Ballroom at Sandals Grande St. Lucian Spa and Beach Resort on January 28 from 7:30 pm.

LIME will be using its Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) to facilitate live TV broadcast of the awards ceremony over Choice TV (channel 39 on the LIME TV service) to viewers in St Lucia and St Vincent from 9:00 pm.  LIME is also providing the technical infrastructure to enable fibre connectivity at Sandals along with the cable TV backbone that will allow Choice/MediaZone to receive a signal from the awards venue to their offices at Vide Boutielle for onward transmission island-wide and throughout the world via their website.

“Our goal in supporting the 2012 St. Lucia Business Awards is to help promote not just the event but the phenomenal entrepreneurial spirit of St Lucia’s business community, and to showcase the winners to the world.” said LIME VP Country Operations, Chris Williams. “As a Caribbean company, we’re constantly finding ways to use our resources to promote St Lucia and the region, and to make life better for our customers and the communities we serve.”

Executive Director for the St. Lucia Chamber of Commerce Industry and Agriculture, Mr. Brian Louisy expressed his gratitude for LIME’s support and said it would go a long way towards making the event a success. He added: “The awards process has been progressing smoothly with a record number of submissions and support from the private sector. We continue to seek ways to enhance this year’s event as compared to last year’s and we are looking forward to creating an entirely fresh and new gala awards evening with the LIME MediaZone, the Digicel Welcome Cocktail, the exciting Red Carpet spotlight and live broadcast, compliments LIME.”

Tracey Warner Arnold

Veteran events and marketing specialist Tracey Warner-Arnold come’s aboard.

The Saint Lucia Tourist Board, the island’s lead agency charged with marketing and promoting the destination, has announced the appointment of veteran events and marketing consultant, Tracey Warner-Arnold to the position of Deputy Director of Tourism.

With a BA and Masters in hospitality and tourism management, Tracey Warner-Arnold is no stranger to the travel and hospitality industry, having worked previously with the Tourist Board as the Marketing Director.  In between the Tourist Board stints, Mrs. Warner-Arnold has consulted on numerous marketing initiatives and mega events in Saint Lucia and throughout the region.

Commenting on Warner-Arnold’s appointment, Director of Tourism Louis Lewis said her addition to the team complements the SLTB’s efforts at capacity building and institutional strengthening.

“We are more than delighted to welcome into our ranks an experienced, tried and tested professional like Warner- Arnold.  Her in-depth knowledge of tourism, marketing and special events will assist in positioning the Saint Lucia Tourist Board to keep pace with future developments and growth trends within the tourism industry,” said Lewis.

Warner-Arnold has also received overwhelming endorsement from newly appointed Tourism, Heritage and Creative Industries Minister Lorne Theophilus.

Minister Theophilus noted the appointment of Warner-Arnold to the post of Deputy Director of Tourism, is one additional step towards seamlessly marrying the portfolios of tourism and creative industries, in order to develop the tourism industry whilst gaining exposure for the island’s burgeoning cultural industry.

Destination Awards:

• The 2011 Travel Weekly Readers Choice Awards Gala awarded Saint Lucia the Readers Choice Award for Best Caribbean Destination.
• Saint Lucia was awarded the “Caribbean’s Leading Honeymoon Destination” at the 2011 World Travel Awards Caribbean & The America’s Ceremony in October, hosted in Jamaica.  This is Saint Lucia’s ninth win since 2002. The event, now in its 18^th year, was established for the purpose of recognizing and celebrating achievements in all areas of the world’s travel and tourism industry.
• The 15th Annual Recommend Readers’ Choice voted Saint Lucia the “Sexiest Romance/Honeymoon Destination – Caribbean” for the seventh consecutive year.
• Saint Lucia was ranked #7 in the Top Ten Islands in the Caribbean in the 2011 Condé Nast Traveler Reader’s Choice Awards.

Visitor Attractions & Tours Awards:

• Mamiku Gardens, a series of botanical gardens surrounding the hilltop ruins of the Micoud Estate located on the East Coast of the island, was the only Caribbean garden ranked (#4) among Headwater’s Top 10 Spring Gardens.
• Island Routes Caribbean Adventure Tours, which offers tours and excursions on Saint Lucia, was named “World’s Leading Caribbean Attraction Company” at the 2011 World Travel Awards.

Noted Property Awards:

Anse Chastanet:

• Condé Nast Traveler Gold List 2011
• Condé Nast Traveler 2011 Top 25 Caribbean Resorts
• Travel + Leisure 2011 Top 500
• Ranked among one of the Top 25 Caribbean Hotels by Travel + Leisure
• Caribbean Travel & Life Readers’ Choice Awards “Resort with the Best View”
• Fodor’s forum named Anse Chastanet “One of the Best Hotels for Views”

The BodyHoliday:

• London Sunday Times – Travel Reader’s Awards, 2011: Voted one of the top three International Spa’s Worldwide
• Spa Finder – Reader’s Choice Awards, 2011: winner Favorite Spa in the Caribbean and Top 10 Best for Water Sports
• Condé Nast Traveler - Readers‘ Travel Awards, 2011: winner Best Destination Spa in the World Award
• TripAdvisor – Certificate of Excellence Award, 2011: Certificate of Excellence for consistent ‘excellent’ ratings from members of Trip Advisor
• Condé Nast Traveler – The Reader’s Spa Awards, 2011: winner Best Spa Worldwide.
• Trip Advisor – Traveler’s Choice Awards, 2011: Top 10 Relaxation/Spa Hotels in the Caribbean & Mexico

Coco Palm:

• Recognized as a 2011 Fodor’s 100 Hotels selection

Crystals:

• Award of Excellence from TripAdvisor 2011

East Winds Inn:

• Ranked #6 on TripAdvisor Top 10 All-Inclusive Hotels in the World 2011
• Virgin Holidays:  World Travel Market 2011, Virgin Holidays Gold award for Best Small Hotel in The Caribbean (second time)

Jade Mountain:

• Saint Lucia’s only AAA 5 Diamond Resort property
• Travel + Leisure 2011 Top 500
• Condé Nast Traveler Gold List 2011
• Caribbean Travel & Life magazine awarded Jade Mountain “Resort with the Best View”
• Readers of Caribbean Travel & Life Magazine voted Jade Mountain as the Resort with the Best View and Jade Mountain’s sister property Anse Chastanet as the runner-up.
• Healing Lifestyles and Spa magazine named Jade Mountain as  having The Most Romantic Spa Treatments
• The Knot named Jade Mountain as “Number one in Sexiest Suites in the World”

Jalousie Plantation, Sugar Beach:

• Condé Nast Traveler, Best in the World 2011 Readers’ Choice Awards, Caribbean
• Travel + Leisure “World’s Best Awards 2011″ Featured in Caribbean’s World’s Best Debut
• Condé Nast Traveler Gold List 2011 Readers’ Selection of “Best Places to Stay in the World”
• London Sunday Times Travel Magazine, World’s Best Hotels 2011

Sandals:

• The Sandals Regency La Toc Golf Resort & Spa was awarded Saint Lucia’s Leading Spa Resort at the World Travel Awards Caribbean & The America’s Ceremony
• Sandals Grande Saint Lucian Spa & Beach Resort was awarded Saint Lucia’s Leading Resort (second year) at the World Travel Awards Caribbean & The America’s Ceremony

Ti Kaye Village Resort:

• Expedia Insiders Select for 2011

Dr Gale Rigobert, St. Lucia Micound North Parliamentary Representative

Saint Lucia Micoud North Parliamentary Representative Honourable Dr. Gale Rigobert along with a team of officials from the Ministry of Infrastructure, Port Services and Transport toured the constituency on Monday, January 16^th, 2012. The tour was aimed at identifying general infrastructural needs of the constituency. The team along with the Parliamentary Representative conducted assessments of the physical infrastructure including bridges, roads and culverts. Other sites visited include: the Wenn, Praslin, Micoud  and Fiadelle Playing Fields.

The Parliamentary Representative Dr. Gale Rigobert has formulated a prioritized list of infrastructural needs which has been discussed with Ministry officials.

Parliamentary Representative Hon. Gale Rigobert wishes to reassure all constituents that notwithstanding her status as an opposition Parliamentarian, she will continue to lobby the Government of Saint Lucia and to explore all available options, including mobilization of community resources, with the objective of attending to the needs of the constituency.

Constituents will be apprised of developments accordingly.

10

One of St. Lucia’s named as best in All Inclusive in the Caribbean…

 TripAdvisor, Inc. (NASDAQ:TRIP), the world’s largest travel site*, today announced the winners of its 2012 Travelers’ Choice^® awards. The 10^th annual awards has revealed premier properties in the U.S. and world, in addition to winners in the categories of Best Luxury and Bargain, Best for Service, B&Bs and Inns, All-Inclusive, Spa, and Trendiest. In total, 3,943 properties globally have been recognized this year with dedicated lists featured for 30 countries and eight regions worldwide. Unlike any other hotel honors, TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice winners are based on millions of valuable reviews and opinions from travelers around the world.

As TripAdvisor has continued its growth globally, featuring sites in 30 countries and in 21 languages, the Travelers’ Choice Hotels awards now highlight a broader range of spectacular properties across the globe. This is TripAdvisor’s biggest awards ever, with lists covering 19 new markets and expanded categories from “Top 10” to “Top 25” winners, providing more inspiration for travelers seeking remarkable properties around the world.

The average nightly rate¹ for 2012 Travelers’ Choice Hotels award winners is $270 and 45 percent have an average nightly rate of $200 or less per night. Average nightly rate for the Best Luxury hotels is $455, Best Bargain $106, Best for Service $255, B&Bs and Inns $124, All-Inclusive $488, Spa $376, and Trendiest $253.

“TripAdvisor is incredibly proud to announce its Travelers’ Choice award-winning hotels for the tenth year,” said Barbara Messing, chief marketing officer for TripAdvisor. “We’re also thrilled to grow our awards with winner lists for twice as many markets globally this year, as we continue our mission to help more travelers around the world plan and have the perfect trip.”

Select 2012 Winners:

Best Hotel in the World — The Phoenix Resort — San Pedro, Belize

Best Hotel in the U.S. — Elysian Hotel Chicago — Chicago, Illinois

Best Luxury (4&5 star) Hotel in the World — Shangri-La Hotel, Tokyo — Tokyo, Japan

Best Luxury (4&5 star) Hotel in the U.S. — The Grand Del Mar — San Diego, California

Best Bargain in the World — HueNino Hotel — Hue, Vietnam

Best Bargain in the U.S. — SeaCoast Inn — Hyannis, Massachusetts

Best for Service in the World — Arcadia Residence — Prague, Czech Republic

Best for Service in the U.S. — SeaCoast Inn — Hyannis, Massachusetts

Best B&B and Inn in the World — The Twenty One — Brighton, England

Best B&B and Inn in the U.S. — A.G. Thomson House: Historic Bed and Breakfast — Duluth, Minnesota

Best All-Inclusive in the World — Garonga Safari Camp — Phalaborwa, South Africa

Best All-Inclusive in the Caribbean — East Winds Inn — Gros Islet, St. Lucia

Best Relaxation and Spa in the World — BollAnt’s im Park — Bad Sobernheim, Germany

Best Relaxation and Spa in the U.S. — Bella Monte Hot Springs Resort and Spa — Desert Hot Springs, California

Trendiest Hotel in the World — Villa Zest Boutique Hotel — Cape Town, South Africa

Trendiest Hotel in the U.S. — Smyth Hotel – A Thompson Hotel — New York City, New York

The complete list of TripAdvisor’s 2012 Travelers’ Choice winners can be found at:http://www.tripadvisor.com/TravelersChoice.

Telecommunications Minister, James Fletcher_ LIME VP Operations, Chris Williams_ Head of Sales, Cheryl Francis_ and the star of the show, the amazing iPhone 4S

The Internet has been buzzing with the recent official introduction of the apple iPhone 4S to over 20 countries last week, including China, Jamaica, and of course, Saint Lucia. Business executives, Government officials and private citizens alike have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of the most amazing iPhone yet, and it’s finally here.

Members of Media Association of Saint Lucia

The Interim Committee of the Media Association of Saint Lucia (MASL) has set the framework for the first elections of the new organisation.  The formation of the MASL follows a prolonged period of absence of an umbrella organisation to represent the interests of media workers on the island.

On Sunday, January 15, 2012, media workers representing a number of organisations met to review and ratify a draft constitution for the association.  Following amendments to the document, the members assented to the changes unanimously.  The meeting also selected a five-member Interim Committee, viz. Delia Dolor, Richmond Felix, Worrell St. Louis, Glen Simon and Clinton L. Reynolds, to prepare for elections.

At a meeting of January 17, 2012, the Interim Committee set Sunday, February 12, 2012 as the date for elections at Monroe College at 4:00pm. Seven executive positions are up for voting – President; Vice President; Treasurer; Secretary; Communication Officer/Assistant Secretary; and 2 Floor Members.  Unsuccessful nominees for the position of President will be considered, automatically, for the post of Vice President. (The roles of each office are outlined in the Appendix.)  Media workers must be registered with the MASL to vote.  Registration is being facilitated electronically, via a new website developed for the organisation – www.masl.lc – and through paper registration forms.

The nomination process is open from Wednesday, January 18 to Tuesday, January 31, 2012.  Media workers can make their nominations electronically, through the MASL website (www.masl.lc) or by submitting the names of their nominees to any committee member.  While a member can be nominated for more than one position, he/she can be elected to one position only.

The committee is urging members to consider, carefully, their choice of nominees for the various positions, given the demands of these offices.  All individuals nominated for an executive position must register as a member of the MASL by 4:00PM on Sunday, February 12, 2012 to be considered for election.

Organized by the Saint Lucia/Martinique Association and the Gros-Islet Town Council, this year’s race will take place from December 16-18. It will see 8 – 10 Gommier racing canoes participating with each canoe carrying 12-14 crew members.

Participants will leave the town of Saint Luce, Martinique on Friday December 16 and will converge on the Gros Islet waterfront at approximately 1:00 pm on Saturday December 17, where they will be greeted by government representatives, yachting and tourism officials among others.

President of the Saint Lucia/Martinique Association Evestus Augustin says a local three-member delegation will travel to Martinique to witness the start of the race and will accompany the canoes en route to Saint Lucia.

Augustin says the Gommier boat race holds tremendous cultural significance, but also presents a myriad of economic benefits. “With an average of 250 people arriving on island during the 3-day event and immersing themselves into the fabric of Gros Islet, you can easily recognize the economic spinoff effects to not only the town but to all of Saint Lucia as these visitors integrate into Saint Lucian society,” says Augustin.

Undoubtedly the oldest boating material in the Caribbean and particularly in Saint Lucia and Martinique, the Gommier, dug out from the tree which gives it its name, has a long and rich history.  The canoes were already being used by traditional Arawaks and Caribs centuries ago, when they traveled from the Amazonia plains to inhabit the Eastern Antilles, before the arrival of Christopher Columbus.

Until the 1950’s the Gommier canoes were quite evident in Martinique’s and Saint Lucia’s economic, social and cultural life. It was prevalent for fishing, transporting goods, mail and even corpses. It was while returning from fishing that crews often challenged each other, resulting in the first sailing canoe race.

Participants were young women within the age group of 18 – 29 years, some of whom are representatives from vulnerable groups. The training was designed to provide them with knowledge and skills on ethnic and gender pride, HIV education, assertiveness, behavioral self-management, and coping.

At the end of the training, many of the participants were selected to deliver interventions for women in vulnerable situations throughout St Lucia aimed at empowering women to minimize risk to HIV transmission.

The training was from Monday December 12^th – Friday December 16^th. Trainers were CDC consultant Joan Ferguson and Ashley Ramsey from the Balm in Gilead in the United States.