Saint Lucia tourism is starting to rebound, two years after the island was one of the first Caribbean destinations to reopen amid the pandemic.
In March, Saint Lucia reported its highest month of tourism arrivals since it first reopened back in June 2020, according to data from the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority.
There were a total of 32,110 visitors to the Eastern Caribbean island in March; Saint Lucia tourism officials says that was 21 percent higher than they forecasted.
For the first quarter, the island has reported 80,811 arrivals, marking what the SLTA called a “strong start to the year.”
Americans continue to dominate the island’s tourism numbers, with the US market accounting for around 56.2 percent of stay over arrivals for the year.
That’s followed by the United Kingdom, which accounted for 30.3 percent of stay over arrivals in the first three months of the year. That was actually the highest share of UK arrivals to the island – even before the pandemic.
Canadians accounted for around 6 percent of arrivals, according to the SLTA.
“The revitalization of Lucian Carnival is one of our priority events this year and we will continue to promote our strong niche offerings such as romance, diving, accommodations, and adventure with some exciting plans for the rest of the year,” said Lorine Charles St Jules, who took over as CEO of the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority earlier this year from former CEO Beverly Nicholson-Doty.
Saint Lucia recently eased its entry protocols for travelers, waiving testing for all fully vaccinated travelers.
Unvaccinated travelers five and older must continue to show proof of a negative PCR test within five days before arrival.
For more, visit Saint Lucia.