Land and Sea Arrivals Surging in Saint Lucia

Image: PHOTO: Pitons from Jade Mountain Resort, Saint Lucia (photo courtesy of Kenneth Taylor/iStock/Getty Images Plus) (Photo courtesy of Kenneth Taylor/iStock/Getty Images Plus)

by Brian Major
Last updated: 2:30 PM ET, Wed March 7, 2018

One of the Caribbean's boutique destinations is enjoying a fast-developing trend of expanding visitor arrivals on land and sea.

Saint Lucia recorded a record 1,105,541 visitor arrivals in 2017-an all-time high for the Caribbean nation. That 11 percent year-over-year arrivals increase in 2017 was the highest among the 31 member countries of the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO).

Saint Lucia's record 2017 arrivals were driven by a significant cruise traffic surge. The island's cruise passenger terminals hosted 669,217 visitors in 2017, a 14 percent year-over-year increase over the 587,749 cruise ship passengers hosted in 2016. Saint Lucia welcomed an additional 81,264 visitors last year despite the eight-month closure of a berth at the Pointe Seraphine cruise ship terminal.

Saint Lucia's land-based arrivals were also up sharply in 2017. The island recorded 386,127 overnight arrivals last year, a 9.9 percent increase over the 347,872 land-based visitors Saint Lucia reported in 2016.

"We are happy with the levels of growth witnessed and as we continue our marketing efforts, we as well look to maximizing the impact of tourism on our economy," said Dominic Fedee, Saint Lucia's minister of tourism information and broadcasting.

Saint Lucia is following through on Fedee's promise last year of increased hotel development. The 155-room Harbor Club luxury resort opened earlier this year in the Rodney Bay district. The property is owned by Canadian entrepreneur and businessman Wes Hall and will be operated and managed by an affiliate of Aimbridge Hospitality LLC.

Harbor Club features contemporary, cabin-style rooms, modeled after luxury cruise cabins and suites with nautical designs. Bespoke swim-up rooms feature their own private pools, while the resort's public areas offer five gourmet dining options, four swimming pools, a health and fitness facility, spa, plus a watersports playground, and dive center.

Meanwhile the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority (SLTA) is once again sponsoring what has become an iconic event for the destination. The Saint Lucia Jazz Festival is scheduled for May 6 to 13 and will feature an eclectic mix of international, regional and local jazz artists. Highlighted by island-wide events and concerts, the week-long festival is designed as a celebration of Saint Lucian, Caribbean and international jazz music.

Exclusive resort events

Several of Saint Lucia's signature properties will host special events during the Jazz Festival. The Sandals Grande St. Lucian Spa & Beach Resort will host performances of "A World of Jazz" on May 7 to 11.

Featured artists will include Barbara Cadet, Denys Baptiste, Pauline Jean, Arnaud Dolme, Zara McFarlane, Etienne Mbappe and the Prophets, Cameron Pierre, Luther Francois, Carolyn Malachi, AZIZA featuring Chris Potter, Dave Holland, Lionel Loueke and Eric Harland.

In Rodney Bay, the Harbor Club will host "A Taste of Bourbon Street" on May 10 and 11 featuring Jazzmeia 'Jazz' Horn. The Royalton Saint Lucia Resort & Spa will host "A Musical Tapestry" on May 11 and 12; each evening will feature shows at 7 p.m. and 11 p.m. Lalah Hathway will headline the May 11 show while Alfredo Rodriguez takes center stage on May 12.

The Jazz Festival culminates at Pigeon Island National Landmark on Sunday, May 13 with Mother's Day performances by The Frantz Laurac Quartet, Ronald 'Boo' Hinkson & Friends, R+R=NOW with Robert Glasper, Terrace Marti, Christian Scott, Derrick Hodge, Taylor McFerrin and Justin Tyson, and Avery Sunshine.

Several other Saint Lucia hotels are offering special Jazz Festival packages. Participating properties include Calabash Cove, Coco Resorts, Coconut Bay Beach Resort & Spa, East Winds, Fond Doux Plantation & Resort, Harbor Club, Marigot Beach Club & Dive Resort, Sandals Regency La Toc, Sandals Grande St. Lucian and Sandals Halcyon Beach, Serenity at Coconut Bay, Stonefield Villa Resort, Ti Kaye Resort & Spa, Villa Beach Cottages & La Dauphine Estate and Windjammer Landing Villa Beach Resort.

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