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Private Sector Dialogue on the Economy with the Prime Minister
The Saint Lucia Hotel and Tourism Association accepted an invitation from the Prime Minister to attend a “Retreat on the Economy” discussion with Union representatives and other Private Sector Associations on Saturday 8th February 2014 and Thursday 13th February 2014. The discussions involved an exchange of information from representatives of each organization and the Ministry of Finance on key challenges inhibiting economic activity in St. Lucia and possible solutions towards overcoming these.
Private Sector representatives from the SLHTA, Chamber of Commerce, St. Lucia Manufacturers Association, St. Lucia Industrial and Small Business Association, the St. Lucia Coalition of Service Providers, the Bankers Association and the St. Lucia Employers Federation all expressed their perspectives on what these challenges are and provided feedback on possible solutions. The Permanent Secretary of Finance Dr. Reginald Darius presented a report on the Island’s fiscal situation and a case study of measures used by a territory with similar characteristics as St. Lucia in addressing similar challenges.
The Meeting adjourned with a commitment to await a report from the Faciliatator Mr. Micheal DaCostas in ten days for review by the representatives. SLHTA was represented by President Karolin Troubetzkoy, Executive Vice President Noorani Azeez and SLHTA Member Matthew Beaubrun.
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All Set for Chef
Ed Harris
The Saint Lucia Hotel and Tourism Association(SLHTA) is all set to welcome Chef Ed Harris, Guest Chef at the SLHTA CHefs in Schools Cook-Off Competition scheduled for 22nd February. The Cook-Off forms part of Saint Lucia’s 35th Independence Celebrations.
The Association expresses sincere appreciation to Delta Airline for providing complimentary travel for Chef Ed Harris and Cap Maison for Providing his complimentary stay.
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Renwick & Company brought Valentine’s Cheer to Canaries
On Friday February 14th the staff and management of Renwick & Company will be bring some Valentine’s cheer to the students of the Canaries Infant and Primary Schools. These schools and the surrounding community of Canaries were hard hit by the December 24th trough and the residents have slowly cleaned up as they attempt to restore some level of normalcy to their lives.
Renwick & Company Ltd through its suppliers will be presenting relief items such as bottled water, non perishable food items, clothing and school supplies to the students. Additionally through its supplier of plastic products; Roto Plastics each school will be provided with a four hundred (400) gallon water storage tank to replace those which were lost in the aftermath of the Christmas Eve trough.
In the spirit of Valentine’s Day there will be a special appearance by the KC Candy mascot Captain Cosmo who will entertain the students and present two hundred (200) care packages. The total value of the Renwick & Company Ltd donation to the Canaries infant and primary schools is over ten thousand dollars ($10,000.00).
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- SLHTA’s Tourism Enhancement fund helps 80 students at the Canaries Infant School and pledges support for another 9o students at the Canaries Primary School
On Friday 14th February, the SLHTA’s Executive Vice President and Project Assistant, visited the Canaries Primary School and Canaries Infant School to assess the completion of works commissioned with the kind donations from the SLHTA membership and get a first hand indication of outstanding needs. Both schools suffered tremendous damage as a result of the 2013 Christmas Eve trough. Relief was provided under the SLHTA’s Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF)and the kind donations of visitors and SLHTA Member companies.
Barely four months old, the TEF has been able to undertake relief efforts through infrastructural and other works in Canaries to support the relocation of our Canaries Infant School. When the Saint Lucia Hotel and Tourism Association was notified by the Ministry of Education that the school had lost all its kitchen equipment in the flood, the TEF pledged $50,000 to relief efforts and immediately reached out to member hotels and allied member companies for matching support and raised an additional $40,000 through donations from guests. Bay Gardens Resorts, Anse Chastanet and Jade Mountain Hotels, Habitat Terrace and many other small hotels, Allied Members such as Serenity Tours, Barefoot Holidays, Sunlink Tours and many others rushed to answer the call and within two short weeks the industry provided stove, fridge, food mixers and other kitchen equipment, dining ware and school supplies to ensure all 80 infants who are students of the Infant school were able to return to school and not have to worry about their school feeding program or learning environment but focus solely on learning.
When the SLHTA’s Executive Vice President visited the Infant School and realized that the dining area was unsuitable for the infants to dine in, he again reached out to Jade Mountain for assistance and received a generous donation of $34,000 dollars to use for construction of dining tables and an extension under which the kids can now eat in comfort. To date other hotels and companies have independently provided donations of water, mattresses, clothes and food items. Today requests are still pouring in for more support and the SLHTA continues to rally its membership for further donations.
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SLHTA comes to the aid of over (100) one hundred athletes on island
In November 2013, the SLHTA, through its Project Assistant Mr. Wendel George, applied for and received a grant from the German Government for funding to support youth sports clubs in Saint Lucia.
On Thursday 13th February 2014, the SLHTA along with Mrs. Karolin Troubetzkoy, the Honorary Consul for the Federal Republic of Germany in Saint Lucia, presented 90 pairs of football boots, 20 footballs, 10 netballs and 20 speedsuits to representatives of Dominators, Northern, Reduit, Caye Mange, Monchy, Cocopere, Lutherans, GMC sporting teams, the Night Riders Athletics Club and the National Netball Association.
The SLHTA also seized the opportunity to recognize Referees and Volunteers who have assisted over the past two years with the SLHTA Sports and Wellness activities. The referees awarded include Pilgrim James, Dermot Chris Monrose, Thomar Francis, Nico Charles, Kenneth Nestor, Sydney Joseph, Victor Florence, Lendon Baptiste, Libert Jean and Danny Williams.
 Honorary Consul Troubetzkoy commented that she hoped that this support from the German Government could perhaps lead to more sporting interaction between local and German sport groups, particularly in the area of football. Mr. Wendel George, who is also Deputy Chair of the SLHTA Sports Committee, indicated that the SLHTA was fully committed to the encouragement of sporting and wellness activities among its members through its Annual Sports Invitational. He expressed hopes that it would be an even bigger event this year with the possible participation of some of the teams present at the ceremony.
SLHTA’s Executive Vice President cited that the ceremony was another excellent example of Tourism at work in our communities. He encouraged recipients to take advantage of the gifts to sharpen their talents.
A number of the representatives of the sports clubs expressed deep appreciation for the donations.
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SLHTA Meets with Country Economists of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank
On Tuesday 11 February, 2014 SLHTA’s EVP met with Mrs. Beverly Labadie, Country Economist of the ECCB as part of the Bank’s Assessment Mission to the ECCU countries. The annual mission formed part of the surveillance work and usually follows the Governor’s Sate of the Union Address to the ECCU member states.
One of the principal goals of the mission was to get feedback from various stakeholders on the Address and obtain qualitative and quantitative information on the economic performance for 2013 and the outlook for the rest of 2014. The meeting discussed concerns about the impact of cost of operations, business volume over the assessment period, challenges to growth and ideas for growth and development.
The SLHTA presented its perspective on some of the main challenges confronting the sector and the factors contributing to performance and expectations for 2014/15. The industry’s value added to the economy was also emphasized.
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LUCELEC Announces
A Reduction in the Basic Tariff
The basic tariff for electricity has been reduced. Starting with bills for February and continuing the remainder of the year, the basic electricity tariff will be 2.6 cents less than the tariff for 2013.
The basic tariff is what LUCELEC customers pay per unit of electricity without the fuel surcharge. It is reviewed in January of every year in accordance with the Electricity Supply Act and reflects the average price of fuel for the preceding 12 months.
The reduction in the basic tariff is a result of the average price of fuel for 2013 being lower than the previous average price LUCELEC paid in 2012.
These reductions are largely due to a fuel price hedging programme which LUCELEC has had in place for the past five… Full Details Here
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Top Chef Finalist Honored AS Island First Culinary Ambassador
Following an impressive showing that landed her one step away from clinching the title of “Top Chef” in the finale of the popular American reality TV show, Saint Lucia’s Nina Compton has been named the island’s first Culinary Ambassador.
The announcement, made by Tourism, Heritage and Creative Industries Minister Lorne Theophilus at the launch of the 23rd edition of the iconic Saint Lucia Jazz & Arts Festival, was greeted by much jubilation and applause.
Theophilus said the Saint Lucia Tourist Board (SLTB) had been keenly following the progress of Nina Compton since the commencement of the show’s third season in October of 2013. “Her journey to the show’s finale captivated thousands of viewers internationally and indeed all of Saint Lucia.” The SLTB he hinted had been working behind the scenes for weeks exploring ways and means of celebrating and paying tribute to her remarkable achievement.
Read Full Details
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Elite Track and Field Invitational Games
The elite track and field club in collaboration with the Saint Lucia Athletics Association will be hosting its inaugural Elite Invitational Meet on April 6th, 2014. The purpose of this meet is to give athletes in St Lucia an opportunity to showcase their talents and to advance the sport of track and field. This event will target individuals of all ages and backgrounds.
An invitation is extended to all SLHTA members to participate in the 4 x 100 Invitational relay at the Elite Invitational. This invitational relay targets members in various sectors including Allied Members and the Hotel Sector.
Who will win bragging rights as the “ Fastest Hotel in Saint Lucia” or “ Fastest Allied Member“. Click Here for Full Details or call Dona Emmanuel at 716 0660. See Flyer at the bottom of this page!!
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