TORONTO — Saint Lucia may have its sights set on growing high-end visitation, but make no mistake, the island has product for every traveller, at every price point.

“Let me be clear: we’re aiming to be the premier warm-weather destination for all travellers. One of our best attributes is our wide range of options for all visitors,” said Louis Lewis, CEO, Saint Lucia Tourism Authority. “We want everyone to come to the party.”

With the highly anticipated return of the 2025 Saint Lucia Jazz & Arts Festival, the mood will certainly be festive this spring (April 30 – May 11, to be exact).

Lewis’ visit to Toronto this week includes promotions for the popular cultural event, plus celebrations for Saint Lucia’s 46th anniversary at the end of this week.

Travelweek connected with Lewis yesterday to find out about Saint Lucia’s visitor numbers from Canada, aircraft on UVF routes and more.

FULL CIRCLE MOMENT

When the SLTA announced Lewis’ appointment as CEO in October 2024, it was a full circle moment, and a homecoming too.

The Saint Lucia-born Lewis previously served as CEO and Director of Tourism at the Saint Lucia Tourist Board for a nine-year period, prior to its rebranding to SLTA in 2017.

In his first go-round with the tourism board, Lewis strengthened the organization’s brand, increased airlift, and boosted demand, while also giving the Saint Lucia Jazz & Arts Festival a higher profile with travellers.

After five years as CEO for Tobago Tourism Agency Limited, Lewis is back with the SLTA. “I’m reconditioned,” he joked. “The opportunity presented itself, and I bring my now-wider experience to the role.”

These days Saint Lucia welcomes about 36,000 or so Canadians annually. “Pre-pandemic that number was 40,000 [in 2019], and we’d like to get back to that,” said Lewis.

Got clients who are stressed about Trump and tariffs? Just about everyone is wary and a bit worried about the coming months. According to Lewis, Saint Lucia is just the place for a get-away-from-it-all getaway. “I know Canadians aren’t happy about all the talk about tariffs. We have an option: Saint Lucia. It’s that warm-weather place where you can take a vacation and finally relax.”

On that note, he added: “We’re very supportive of the Canadian travel market. It’s done well for us and it can do a lot more.”

TALKS WITH AIR CANADA & WESTJET

Saint Lucia is always working to attract travellers but at the same time, Lewis and his team are mindful of overtourism. The SLTA’s theme for 2025 is sustainability, and partnerships with organizations including the island’s Cultural Development Foundation – “to showcase more of what is definitively Saint Lucian” – aim to grow tourism in a responsible way.

“We’re expanding our product before [overtourism] becomes a problem,” added Lewis.

Keeping an eye out for warning signs of overtourism also means keeping an eye on lift and new hotel room inventory. Some 2,000 new rooms are in the pipeline within the next 24 months, including Secrets St. Lucia Resort & Spa.

“We’re very mindful of our capacity,” said Lewis. “It’s a bit of a juggling act and we have to be careful. Some operators, their key focus, their preferred metric is volume, and for others, it’s quality.”

Asked about lift from Canada specifically, Lewis told Travelweek he and his team recently met with airlines including Air Canada and WestJet. Why? “We’ve had people complaining about the quality of the aircraft on our routes,” he said. “We need to be consistent with the experience we’re promoting. We want to communicate to the trade that we’ve raised our concerns with the airlines, we’re aware of the situation.”

INDEPENDENCE CELEBRATIONS

As Saint Lucia gears up to celebrate 46 years of independence on Feb. 22, the big celebration for the Toronto travel industry takes place Feb. 20 in Toronto, with a gathering at the Jazz Bistro hosted by Consul General Henry Mangal along with Lewis and SLTA Chairman Thaddeus M. Antoine, plus Dexter Percil, Head of Marketing for the SLTA.

Saint Lucia, the presenting sponsor of the Toronto Raptors’ Caribbean Heritage Night, will also bring the island’s spirit to Scotiabank Arena on Feb. 21 when the Toronto Raptors take on the Miami Heat.

Saint Lucia will be prominently featured throughout Scotiabank Arena for Friday night’s game, with in-bowl LED displays, concourse signage and presenting partner acknowledgment. There’s also a four-week out-of-home ad campaign.

Finally, keep an eye out for illuminations in the colours of the Saint Lucian flag at landmarks including the CN Tower, the Brampton Clock and Niagara Falls.

More information about travel to Saint Lucia can be found here.