TORONTO — The Saint Lucia Tourism Authority and other tourism stakeholders welcomed Air Canada Rouge flight 1878 this past weekend to Saint Lucia’s Hewanorra International Airport.

The flight marked the reopening of the Canadian market for Saint Lucia, the fourth largest international market for the island.

Air Canada was forced to discontinue its winter service to Saint Lucia in January 2021 during the third wave of the pandemic. The first flight returns after nine months, following the cancellation of all flights to Mexico and the Caribbean earlier this year.

A delegation led by Tourism Minister Hon. Dr. Ernest Hilaire, comprised of the Chairman of the (SLTA) Board, Saint Lucia Tourism Authority, Saint Lucia Air and Sea Ports Authority (SLASPA), and President of the Saint Lucia Hospitality and Tourism Association, were on hand to welcome the flight.

A commemorative plaque was presented to Captain Christopher Clarke and crew members. The inbound flight brought 129 returning nationals and visitors to Saint Lucia. The return flight to Toronto departed with 51 passengers and facilitated the exportation of 2,545 pounds of fresh produce to Canada, according to the SLTA.

Saint Lucia welcomed more than 40,000 Canadian visitor arrivals to the island in 2019, and the SLTA says it will continue to drive robust, targeted marketing and public relations campaigns in the Canada to drive awareness and increase new routes.

For the upcoming season Air Canada will offer nonstop service from Toronto to Saint Lucia every Sunday, then increase frequency to two weekly flights (Friday & Sunday) starting Oct. 31. The winter schedule will include four weekly flights starting Dec. 25 (Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays). Saint Lucia is also set to welcome back WestJet and Sunwing in the coming weeks ahead with new nonstop flights.