Above: St Lucia

By the Caribbean Journal staff

St Lucia is “open for business” following heavy flooding that caused significant damage and at least five deaths in the country this week, Tourism Minister Lorne Theophilus said Thursday.

“The tourist industry is sound,” Theophilus said following a meeting with Director of Tourism Louis Lewis and St Lucia Hotel and Tourism Association President Noorani Azziz to discuss the impact of Christmas Eve flooding on tourism stakeholders.

There are currently four cruise ships in Castries Harbour, the Minister said; while the island’s infrastructure has been battered, he said, vendors, tour operators and taxi drivers are “still able to earn a living.”

After temporary closures, all air and seaports are now operational, according to Theophilus.

Lewis said that, while he had been concerned about the volume of flights affected by the unseasonable storm trough, airlines “have been able to accommodate passengers.”

Azziz said that infrastructural damages to member hotel properties “was not a concern,” although many hotel staff and their families were affected by the storm.