Welcome to Selling Luxury, a podcast/video series produced by the editors of Luxury Travel Advisor. This series aims to inspire and educate travel advisors who want to enter the luxury arena and provides great insights for those advisors who are already successful in this niche.
Matt Turner, editor for Luxury Travel Advisor, recently caught up with Lorine Charles-St. Jules, the newly appointed CEO of the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority. She most recently served as USA account manager for the Anguilla Tourist Board and has been CEO of global marketing agency PEAEYE7 Marketing International for five years, handling business development and luxury resort marketing throughout the Caribbean, the U.S. and Canada. Her first thoughts on the return to native Saint Lucia? "I'm loving the weather," Charles-St.Jules tells us.
As CEO, Charles-St. Jules says one of her first goals will be to improve airlift to the island. "We've had a long commitment with the travel trade, so one of my main goals is to increase airlift within North American markets. We understand, now, that although we have some good airlift in some key markets, our goal is to strengthen this, restore it and also expand it to cater to all our luxury clients." She adds that some markets Saint Lucia is looking to tap into include Dallas (service here began last year and the tourism authority wants to expand the offerings), Washington, D.C. and select markets on the West Coast, as well as various areas in Canada.
When it comes to happenings on the island, Saint Lucia recently created a collection of inns, villas, bed and breakfasts and boutique hotels in order to highlight the properties and help travelers find the right fit for them. "They are for luxury, they are for wellness, they are for adventure and, of course, culinary experiences," Charles-St. Jules says. In all, over 300 properties belong to the collection.
Good to know: The island is currently operating "Seamless Saint Lucia," its relaxed travel protocols. Travelers 18 and older must register online prior to travel and upload relevant documents. Fully vaccinated travelers aged five years and older must have a valid negative rapid antigen test or rapid PCR test done one day prior to arrival or a valid negative standard COVID-19 test done within five days prior to arrival. Unvaccinated travelers aged five and older must have a valid negative standard COVID-19 test done within five days prior to arrival. For the latest information, visit www.stlucia.org.
For the full conversation, check out the video above.
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