Fresh from putting Saint Lucia’s tourism product before international travel partners at home, Tourism Minister Dr. Ernest Hilaire has taken the message directly to Canada, pitching an island he says should be experienced not only through its beaches and resorts, but through its people, culture and communities.
Speaking with TravelPulse Canada, Hilaire outlined Saint Lucia’s ambitions for the Canadian market, where the island has traditionally attracted business but is now seeking to deepen its presence.
The Canadian engagement follows the recently concluded Saint Lucia Showcase International, which brought travel advisors, buyers, media and other industry partners to the island for an immersive look at the destination.
At the Showcase, Hilaire made clear the direction he believes Saint Lucia’s tourism industry must take, telling delegates that “Saint Lucia is not simply a place to visit. Saint Lucia is a place to feel.”
That philosophy is now central to the destination’s pitch in Canada.
Rather than relying solely on Saint Lucia’s established strengths in romance, luxury, nature and leisure travel, Hilaire wants greater emphasis placed on cultural, heritage and community tourism, giving visitors more opportunities to interact with Saint Lucians and spend within local communities.
For Hilaire, the goal is for travellers to leave with more than memories of a beautiful island. He wants them to develop a genuine connection with the destination.
That was also the experience Saint Lucia sought to create during Showcase International. Hilaire reminded visiting travel partners that while they could have discovered the island through websites, photographs and presentations, being in Saint Lucia allowed them to walk through communities, taste local food, meet residents and experience the culture firsthand — and, he hoped, “feel something that cannot be captured in a brochure.”
The strategy also carries an economic objective.
Hilaire has argued that when tourism creates meaningful connections, the benefits can extend beyond hotels and traditional tourism businesses to farmers, fishers, artists, musicians, entrepreneurs, guides, communities and young people.
With Showcase International concluded, the focus now turns to translating those experiences into stronger international demand, bookings and economic opportunities at home.
And in Canada, Saint Lucia’s pitch is increasingly straightforward: come for the destination travellers recognise from the photographs, but discover the Saint Lucia that can only be experienced through its people, communities and culture.
