Saint Lucia: Dr. Ernest Hilaire attended the annual Saint Lucia Tourism Awards. The event was hosted in honour of the tourism Stakeholders of the country. The awards ceremony was hosted on Saturday with the aim of highlighting the achievements recorded by the tourism sector.
The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism called the Tourism industry the backbone of Saint Lucia. In the same breath he acknowledged that the industry is creating many livelihoods for the people of the country.
He stated that the people of Saint Lucia must celebrate the people who have worked hard to take the industry to greater heights. The Deputy Prime Minister also extended his congratulations to the nominees of the 2024 edition of the Saint Lucia Tourism Awards: The Gimies.
The Minister of Tourism and Deputy Prime Minister was present at the event to honour the various tourism stakeholders who have helped the tourism sector reach greater heights. The Minister also delivered a brief address at the event, he appreciated the tourism stakeholders of the country for their dedication.
Due to the constant and unending efforts of the team, the tourism sector of the country has achieved significant prestige. The stakeholders have evolved the Tourism Sector of the country and showed the world the true essence of the country.
The Tourism Sector is an important part of the country’s prosperity as the country’s economy derives a significant portion of its revenue through the sector. During the event, Deputy PM Hilaire noted that he is dedicated to working on developing the Tourism sector of the country.
Minister Ernest Hilaire shared that it is his vision to transform the sector and efforts have already begun. Talking further, he noted that his ministry is working on creating a structure that can help in diversifying the tourism offering.
The ministry is further dedicated to developing community tourism and encouraging more investment in small and big businesses. They are trying to boost eco-friendly practices in the country, asserting that they want the sector to benefit all sections of the community.
Accordingly, he stated that the tourism awards were extremely important as they highlighted the unsung heroes of the country. He called the Gimies a developmental programme which allows the stakeholders to boost the tourism offering with eco-friendly practices.