Castries, Saint Lucia: The Saint Lucia Tourism Authority (SLTA) is currently showcasing the island’s offerings at the 2022 Virtuoso Travel Week from August 13th to 19th in Las Vegas. The event is widely considered the ultimate annual global travel community event and this year attracted nearly 5000 industry professionals.
Leading Saint Lucia’s Delegation is the Chief Executive Officer of the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority, Lorine Charles-St. Jules. She is supported by Senior Sales Manager, Richard Moss, and the island’s Virtuoso Preferred hotel partners, Cap Maison, BodyHoliday, Jade Mountain, Ladera, and Sugar Beach.
The SLTA is a preferred strategic partner of Virtuoso with Saint Lucia being a Virtuoso preferred destination. The Authority is lending support to all Virtuoso partners present at this hybrid event, but more so is setting the stage for the advisors of all our activities, experiences, and new services available nationally.
This year, the Virtuoso Travel Week offers participants a flexible schedule, appointments, and opportunities to network across time zones and locations around the globe. There are over 100 countries represented and over 180,000 appointments scheduled.
It was Nelson Mandela who once declared: “Our children are our greatest treasure. They are our future.” The SLHTA strongly supports this adage and through the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF) has embarked upon various initiatives to this end.
In February, in collaboration with the Lions Club of Saint Lucia, a donation of an essential pediatric electrocardiogram machine and Huntleigh SpO2 monitors was made to the Owen King European Union Hospital. In doing so, the TEF became the first corporate donor to attain Cherubim Angel Donor status.
This timely donation is just the beginning, as it only marks the first of a three-year commitment to provide support to the Pediatric Ward. In May the organization rolled out the Eileen Paul Scholarship Fund—named in honour of Eileen Paul, the “heart and soul” of the SLHTA and our longest serving employee. The Fund was conceptualized to provide much-needed bursaries to secondary school students whose parents work in the hospitality industry. The annual bursary will go towards school supplies, uniforms, books and transportation to attend school.
The first cohort of nine students received a grant of EC$1,000.00. Once each student continues to meet the criteria, they will receive a grant of EC $2000 annually for five years! A second cohort of ten students will be awarded their scholarships in time for the new academic year this September. (Stay tuned to the SLHTA for this pending announcement.)
Preparations are also at an advanced stage for the reintroduction of the SLHTA’s After School Programme— aimed at stemming the effects that the pandemic has had on our nation’s youth.
The after school programme will adopt a holistic approach by exposing students to sports, music, agriculture and literacy skills. The pilot project, which will target approximately sixty students, is earmarked for Soufriere and will run for one semester.
