As military conflicts around the world threaten to increase travel costs and disrupt global supply chains, the Saint Lucia Hospitality and Tourism Association (SLHTA) is urging stronger collaboration between the public and private sectors to safeguard the island’s tourism industry.
Chief Executive Officer of the SLHTA, Noorani Azeez, says the sector must act quickly to prepare for possible economic shocks that could affect travel to the destination, particularly as major events such as the Saint Lucia Jazz and Arts Festival and Saint Lucia Carnival approach.
Azeez disclosed that the association has already begun discussions with key stakeholders in the tourism sector to assess potential impacts and plan a coordinated response.
“We have already reached out to Lucelec for a very open conversation with our board of directors on what they’re seeing versus what we’re picking up and how do we ensure that we advance the conversation in a more aggressive way than before on the creation of sustainable energy and what can be done in order for us to perhaps not 100 percent but reduce in some way that anticipated negative impact as a result of this war,” he said.
According to Azeez, rising transportation costs remain one of the most pressing concerns for the tourism industry, as global instability could drive up airfares and affect travelers’ ability to reach the island.
“The cost of transportation is another serious contending factor. The impact on the cost of airfare to come to our destination,” he explained.
While the full effects may take some time to reach Saint Lucia directly, Azeez warned that key tourism markets could feel the pressure much sooner.
“So, while these things may take a bit more time to hit us at home, it’s going to hit source markets perhaps faster than it hits us, and we’re going to feel that ripple effect sooner than later,” he added.
Despite the challenges, the SLHTA CEO said the situation also presents opportunities for Saint Lucia to position itself competitively in the global tourism market.
“As it relates to the cost of getting here, sadly wars in other parts of the earth means an opportunity for us to target source markets for vacations in Saint Lucia, and we are trying to look at it through a very optimistic lens,” Azeez stated.
He said this may require the tourism sector to broaden its partnerships with airlines and explore new strategies to attract visitors.
“So, it probably means we have to have conversations with competing air carriers, right, competing airlines,” he said.
Azeez also stressed that the industry must rethink its operational model in order to reduce vulnerability to external shocks.
“It means that we’ve got to look at ways of reducing our production costs by perhaps reducing our dependence on imports and look at what can be sourced regionally and locally closer to home,” he noted.
“The operating model is going to have to change in order to build up our resilience.”