Export Saint Lucia used the global stage of Expo Osaka to court Japanese investors on August 29, unveiling “Brand Saint Lucia” as more than a vacation postcard, “a lifestyle and a business proposition,” as officials put it, backed by infrastructure, incentives, and a deep bench of creative and technical talent.
At a business forum hosted as part of Saint Lucia’s Expo program, a cross-government team set out a coordinated offer spanning tourism, manufacturing and agro-processing, ICT and global business services, renewable energy, wellness, and the creative industries. The session drew prospective investors from across Japan’s corporate sector.
Louis Lewis, Chief Executive Officer of the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority (SLTA), framed the pitch around identity and distinctiveness. He pointed to the island’s UNESCO-listed Pitons, the world-famous Sulphur Springs drive-in volcano, and the La Rose (August 30) and La Marguerite (October 17) flower festivals, “a living culture with feminine icons at its heart.”
“Saint Lucia isn’t just a place you visit, it’s a lifestyle you invest in,” Lewis said, calling the country “small, creative and relentlessly global,” with roughly 180,000 people and two Nobel laureates, one of the highest per-capita rates worldwide. Citing Saint Lucian inventors behind advances in wireless power transfer and high-speed data technologies, he added: “We’ve been punching far above our weight for decades.” He also spotlighted sprint star Julien Alfred, “now the fastest woman on the planet,” as proof of a culture of excellence.
Export Saint Lucia’s CEO Sunita Daniel said demand for Saint Lucian goods has broadened rapidly: “We’re now shipping to New Zealand, Australia, Africa, and the Gulf, with regular consignments into Dubai, and we’ve previously reached Russia and North America. The strategy is diversification and quality…Our vision is international competitiveness and growth; our mission is excellence and authenticity at home and abroad,” Daniel said. “If it isn’t excellent at home, it won’t perform abroad.” She emphasized a stable political environment, efficient ports and two airports, and a skilled workforce, especially in the creative sector, where fashion, music and design are being packaged for export through curated showcases.
Octavian Charles, CEO of Invest Saint Lucia, moved quickly to the numbers and enablers. The island offers. According to him, corporate income tax holidays, along with import duty exemptions on building materials, fixtures, furniture, and equipment during development, unrestricted repatriation of profits and capital, and concessions on property transfers for qualifying projects are among what is being offered to investors.
He highlighted connectivity and logistics, Hewanorra International Airport and George F. L. Charles Airport with established links via American Airlines, Delta, and British Airways; regular container services including Tropical Shipping and King Ocean; and a fiber-optic backbone supporting BPO/GBS, which already employs about 3,000 people.
On energy, Charles cited a 30-MW geothermal project in development alongside expanding solar deployments and forthcoming legislation to accelerate private investment in renewables. “Cost and reliability matter,” he said. “Government is moving to clear the path on both.”
Priority sectors for Invest Saint Lucia include tourism and mixed-use developments, global business services, manufacturing and agro-processing, healthcare, renewable energy, and ICT. “Our role is hands-on facilitation, site selection, regulatory approvals, and packaging incentives, so projects move from concept to groundbreaking without friction,” Charles said.
Addressing capital mobility and market access, Mc Claude Emmanuel, CEO of the Citizenship by Investment Unit, pitched Saint Lucia’s program as “a premium brand built on robust, multi-layer due diligence.”
“We don’t have oil; we have people, and a program that converts global ambition into national development,” Emmanuel said.
He described a process that uses former intelligence and law-enforcement professionals, international databases, third-party investigative firms in the UK and Europe, financial intelligence screening, and candidate interviews. He presented a case study of a Canadian family that selected the National Economic Fund option to acquire citizenship while investing directly in Saint Lucia’s development.
“This isn’t about passports as trophies,” he said. “It’s about community, standards, and adding value to the country.”
Officials said the Japan push aligns with Saint Lucia’s diversification agenda and the Expo’s Asia-Pacific reach. For manufacturers, the island promoted duty-relief regimes and proximity to North and South American markets; for services firms, the sales pitch focused on talent, time-zone advantages for nearshore operations, and reliable digital infrastructure; for hospitality investors, on a resilient, high-spend tourism base anchored by a globally recognized destination brand, “Let Her Inspire You.”
Saint Lucia’s team summed up the offer in three words: access, stability, and speed, with a lifestyle brand that travels well. “We welcome partners who want to build long-term value,” Daniel said. “Bring your technology, your standards, your ambition. We’ll match you with excellence.”
