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World Travel Awards – HAVE YOU VOTED YET
World’s Leading All-inclusive Company –Sandals Resorts
World’s Leading Honeymoon Destination – St. Lucia
World’s Leading Hotel Brand – Sandals Resorts
World’s Leading Island Destination – St. Lucia
World’s Leading New Hotel – Boucan Hotel Chocolat
World’s Leading Spa Resort – Body Holiday
World’s Leading Tour Operator – Barefoot Holidays-St. Lucia
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Congratulations Consuela Dupal
Former MISS SLHTA2010 Contestant and representative as MISS Saint Lucia, Consuela Dupal outclassed the opposition to capture the MISS Caribbean Tourism 2012 pageant crown in Saint Kitts.
The Saint Lucian beauty, a former Miss Haynes Smith Caribbean Talented Teen 2009 winner, also placed first in the Evening Gown segment.
Dupal is said to have a passion for the tourism industry and has completed a Bachelors Degree in Hospitality Management. She currently works as a Concierge/Sales Agent at the St. James Morgan Bay Beach Resort in St Lucia. The newly-crowned Caribbean Tourism queen also has a keen interest in event planning and promotions and has established Sofyerie Promotions, which is one of Saint Lucia’s leading promotional agencies.
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Outstanding Staff Profile – Crecentia Charles
Miss Crescentia Charles affectionately known as “Chrissy” is famous for her bubbly personality warm and welcoming smile at the Waterside Restaurant. Chrissy has been working within the hospitality industry for approximately 13 years; out of which, she has been employed with the Smugglers Cove Resort & Spa for the past four years as a Restaurant Hostess.
Chrissy is constantly being mentioned on Trip advisor for her welcoming personally and her ability to go above and beyond the call of duty to please our discerning customers. When asked “how do you do it?” She responds with a smile and says “I love what I do!”
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Foreign Students Invited to Apply for Residency in Canada
In a move that could benefit some Caribbean nationals, Canada’s Immigration Minister Jason Kenney has invited more foreign students and temporary foreign workers to apply to stay in the country in 2013.
Under new immigration rules, up to 10,000 foreign students and temporary foreign workers will be allowed to apply for permanent residency, an increase from 6,000 last year. Total immigration levels will nevertheless remain unchanged, staying frozen at 240,000 to 265,000 for the seventh straight year.
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Fodor’s, the leading name in travel guides announced their 2012 Fodor’s 100 Hotel Award list. Fodor’s 100 are chosen by Fodor’s editorial team in conjunction with 700 writers all over the world. Over 4,000 nominations were narrowed down to represent the year’s global travel trends. The difference with Fodor’s 100 Hotel list is all hotel are nominated by the expert writers which have been based in the destination and the hotels are not ranked but are selected on the “best in class” and differentiated in nine categories. Fodor’s has been round from 1936 and pride themselves on knowing travel and knowing the best hotels.
The selected categories are – New & Noteworthy, Global Icon, Trendsetter, Trip of a Lifetime, Local Experience, City Chic, Royal Pedigree, Best All-Inclusive and Fun for All Ages.
Saint Lucia has once again stood as high as our majestic pitons, as we captured four awards by our resorts, thus, making Saint Lucia the highest ranking destination per capita on the list and number one in the Caribbean.
Our SLHTA members captured the following awards; Trip of a Lifetime – Jade Mountain; local Experience – Boucan by Hotel Chocolat; Best All-Inclusive – The Body Holiday LeSPORT and Fun for All Ages – Bay Gardens Beach Resort and Spa.
Congratulations from the SLHTA on your prestigious recognition.
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St. Lucia Launches New Cruise Programme
The Saint Lucia Tourist Board (SLTB) is unveiling a new program designed to increase visitor arrivals by enticing cruise passengers to return to the island for an extended vacation. Launching in November, the program offers cruisers incentives including discounts at participating hotels, attractions and shopping to book a vacation to Saint Lucia.
A collaboration between the Saint Lucia Air and Sea Ports Authority (SLASPA) and the SLTB, the first-of-its-kind initiative is designed to reach thousands of cruise passengers who visit Saint Lucia annually. “Because of the limited amount of time they are able to spend on a shore excursion, cruise passengers have a somewhat limited view of the rich experiences an extended vacation on Saint Lucia offers,” said Nerdin St. Rose, VP Marketing & Sales for the SLTB. “Exit surveys have shown that there is interest in returning to Saint Lucia, and we’re confident the incentives offered through this program will encourage repeat visits from this highly valued group.”
The program is centered around a promotional DVD which will be distributed to passengers at the cruise ship pier includes the details for redeeming the offers and will direct cruisers to a new micro-site, where they will also find the opportunity to enter to win an all-inclusive vacation for two to Saint Lucia.
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Sandals LaSource Grenada Resort
Sandals Resorts International (SRI), parent company of Sandals Resorts, Beaches Resorts and Grand Pineapple Beach Resorts, announced the purchase of La Source Resort in Grenada for an undisclosed sum. The agreement to acquire the resort was successfully reached after ongoing discussions with the Government of Grenada and represents the brand’s first property in this Eastern Caribbean country.
Sandals Resorts Chairman, Gordon “Butch” Stewart commented, “After looking to expand here for more than a decade, we are delighted to confirm the acquisition of our first ever resort in Grenada and are incredibly proud to have found the perfect location to add to our brand. We are confident that guests will continue to be impressed by our tradition of exceeding expectations through innovation and unwavering service, which has become our standard across the Sandals Resorts brand. We are eager to make our debut and share with guests not only the beauty of our new resort, but to share the beauty of Grenada, its culture and its people.”
This property will become “Sandals LaSource Grenada Resort & Spa” and will open following certain enhancements customary to the Sandals Resorts brand. The newly announced property will be the fourteenth Sandals Resort in the Jamaican-based company’s portfolio. Stewart credits the government of Grenada not only for their investment in the Sandals brand, but also for their effectiveness in bringing this partnership to fruition.
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National Hospital Complex Branding Competition for Name and Logo
Saint Lucians of all ages are being given a voice in the process of naming the New National Hospital and the New National Hospital Complex and in the designing its brand architecture, through a naming and logo competition to be launched within the coming weeks. While students of secondary and tertiary institutions are especially encourages to participate, the contest is open to all members of the public.
The selected name will thus speak to the values of empathy and nationalism and should carry the rationale behind the proposed name. The winning logo will in turn be one that corresponds with the distinctive and aesthetically pleasing brand character articulated by the proposed name for the new facility. There are no requirements regarding colours, or shapes proposed; however, the design must be original, creative, and possess a simplicity befitting a medical facility.
A $1000 prize will be awarded in the event of a solo winning name submission, while $2500 has been reserved for the winning submission which comprises both name and logo. For more information, please contact Mrs. Natasha Lloyd Felix; Director, Bureau of Health Education, Ministry of Health, Wellness, Human Service and Gender Relations at 468-5349.
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CTO Announces Aviation Committee
The Caribbean Tourism Organization, the international agency responsible for leading the development of Caribbean Tourism, has announced a highly focused CTO Aviation Committee to facilitate air transportation into and throughout the Caribbean and to enhance airlift.
The Committee is being co-chaired by the former CTO Chairman, Ricky Skerritt, who is Minister of Tourism and International Transport of St. Kitts & Nevis. The composition of the committee reflects technical, regulatory and policy-making experience and has public/private sector representation from tourism professionals, accommodations, airlines, airports and aviation consultancies.
At the CTO State of the Industry Conference in St. Kitts on October 12th, the incoming chairman, Beverly Nicholson-Doty, the United States Virgin Islands’ Commissioner of Tourism stated, “The CTO recognizes that air transportation is crucial to the success of Caribbean tourism and it is imperative that we seek convenient, affordable and reliable air service if we are to realize our vision of positioning the Caribbean as the world’s most desirable, year round, warm weather destination in five years,” the CTO chairman said.
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TripAdvisor has announced a new app that gives hospitality business owners a quick and easy way to enhance their Facebook Pages with reviews, awards and other TripAdvisor content.
The TripAdvisor App for Facebook, which is available immediately, is designed to help businesses attract more guests with traveler feedback and is an expansion of the popular TripAdvisor widgets. Using the new app, owners can create a TripAdvisor tab for their business’s Facebook Page with the option to display their TripAdvisor ratings, recent reviews, awards, photos and ranking on the site.
“The TripAdvisor App for Facebook helps businesses showcase their reviews and accolades in front of Facebook’s massive community of one billion monthly active users,” said Christine Petersen, president, TripAdvisor for Business.
To install the TripAdvisor app, hotel, restaurant and attraction owners may visit the TripAdvisor Widget Centre, enter their property name, follow the prompts and select the TripAdvisor App for Facebook.
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WTTC Issues Forecast
Growth in the global tourism industry in 2012 will be broadly in line with expectations set at the beginning of the year according to the latest data. In an update of forecasts made at the beginning of the year, the World Travel & Tourism Council predicts growth for tourism globally of 2.7 per cent, only slightly downgraded from the 2.8 per cent that was expected for the industry at the beginning of the year.
WTTC president David Scowsill said: “The latest figures from WTTC confirm the resilience of the Travel & Tourism industry around the world. Despite some specific and regional downgrades to short-term economic and industry forecasts, the longer-term prospects for tourism remain very positive, and continue to be boosted by strong growth and rising prosperity in emerging markets.
“We expect the direct contribution of Travel & Tourism to global GDP to grow by an average of four per cent per annum between 2011 and 2021 with North East Asia making up a growing share of the overall Travel & Tourism contribution to GDP.”
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