‘The Year Ahead Is Full Of Promise’ – SLHTA Acting President

Asserting that 2024 was indeed one for the record books for Saint Lucia, the Acting President of the Saint Lucia Hospitality and Tourism Association (SLHTA) was upbeat regarding 2025.

“The year ahead is full of promise, and I am excited about the opportunities that await,” Erwin Louisy stated in a New Year message.

“As we step into this new chapter, the SLHTA reaffirms its commitment to contributing to the development of our people and great country,” Louisy said.

Reflecting on 2024, the SLHTA official observed that it was a historic and eventful year for the organisation, as it celebrated its 60th anniversary.

The complete message appears below:

On behalf of the Board of Directors, Management and Staff of the Saint Lucia Hospitality and Tourism Association (SLHTA), I am delighted to wish you a happy New Year.

2024 was indeed one for the record books for Saint Lucia. Thousands continued to be inspired by the island’s captivating beauty and friendly people, with the country recording month-on-month growth throughout the year. The Caribbean’s Leading Honeymoon Destination, World’s Leading Honeymoon Destination and the Caribbean Destination Resilience Award were among the many accolades bestowed on the island. Significant strides were made to enhance the tourism industry, including numerous investments aimed at increasing the room stock and diversifying by laying the groundwork for Saint Lucia’s first underwater sculpture park. Who could forget one of the year’s most inspiring moments when Olympic Champion Julien Alfred achieved the impossible, bringing immense pride and joy to the nation. Tourism stakeholders proudly welcomed Alfred as a Tourism Ambassador, with exciting plans for her to showcase and promote Saint Lucia on the global stage.

It was also a historic and eventful year for the SLHTA as we celebrated our 60th anniversary and continued to serve as the voice of the tourism and hospitality industry across many fronts. We remained steadfast in our advocacy efforts in many areas including labour, the environment, and industry standards and policy. When tragedy struck our brothers and sisters in Grenada and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, we rallied our member companies and private citizens to donate over $100,000 in critical hurricane relief.

The Association continued to invest in the island’s human resource, sponsoring and supporting a range of initiatives focused on hospitality workers, youth and the police force. A major highlight was the National Culinary Team’s participation in the return of the Taste of the Caribbean culinary competition. A $75,000 investment by the SLHTA’s Tourism Enhancement Fund provided Saint Lucian culinary professionals with an incredible opportunity for learning, networking and enhancing the Destination’s culinary appeal. The second edition of the Saint Lucia Tourism Awards was also held to recognize and celebrate the Destination’s talented team members, with this year’s edition set to be bigger and better.

The year ahead is full of promise, and I am excited about the opportunities that await. As we step into this new chapter, the SLHTA reaffirms its commitment to contributing to the development of our people and great country. Here’s to another year of growth, unity, and success.

Once again, I wish you all a happy and prosperous New Year!