| Hotelier optimistic about a boom in 2010 |
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| Thursday, 31 December 2009 00:00 | |||
 CASTRIES – President of the St. Lucia Hotels and Tourism Association (SLHTA), Anthony Bowen, says he remains “cautiously optimistic” that the island could experience a boom next year but that would depend on all stakeholders working towards such a goal.Bowen described 2009 as a very difficult one for the local industry and would not be surprised if this year showed a 50 percent decline in revenue. But he said the island is recording improved airlift “not just in the winter but going into the summer. “We will have 23,000 seats a month coming into this country. If we can keep the product right and make the destination safe and attractive, I think we can have a boom year in 2010. “But there are a lot of factors that play into this. It’s not just about the hotels. Everyone is wondering whether the hotels will do well or not, but it’s whether the island is prepared to make the sacrifice and create the environment so that everybody does well,” said Bowen. He said 2009 had seen a “huge decline in arrivals and it wasn’t necessarily because of demand but rather because there were not enough seats. “It’s been very hard and staff have been affected which saddens me, but it’s really a case of trying to stay on an economic plan that will allow the hotels to go forward into 2010.” But Bowen said there were some concerns that had to be addressed within the local industry. “I have been involved in tourism since 1974; my career has taken me to Jamaica, Antigua, St. Kitts, St. Lucia. I don’t really think in its truest form that any government in the Caribbean, except Jamaica, really recognize the importance of tourism and understand the input that has to go into tourism to enhance the livelihood and the income of the people employed in the industry. “It always seems to me that there is a challenge: is it about tourism, or not about tourism? The fact is that tourism is here, it is a reality. If we make tourism viable, there should not be a single living soul in this country who is employable who should be without a job.” Bowen saw crime as perhaps the most serious problem facing the industry in St. Lucia. “For years we have used the tag line ‘simply beautiful’, but you can’t say your place is ‘simply beautiful’ and you invite people to your shores and they are not safe. We need to understand that we need to get more sophisticated in the way we deliver our product,” he added. Bowen said he would like to see all stakeholders come to the common understanding “that if you invite people into your home there is an accepted code of behavior. “I want to see that we instill in our people that we have to be gracious and civil; we have to show that the hospitality is not something that you go out and study, that it is something that’ supposed to be endemic.” He said the government perhaps needs to set an example and that the Singapore model should be study as a way forward. (CMC)
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