SLHTA meets new Tourism Minister

The    President of the St    Lucia Hotel & Tourism Association (SLHTA), Mrs Karolin Troubetzkoy, together with the    Acting Executive Vice President, Mr  Noorani Azeez, and Board Members, Daniel Belizaire and Ross Stephenson, were invited to
an     introductory meeting     by the Minister of Tourism, Heritage & Creative Industries, Lorne Theophilus on Wednesday 14th  December 2011. Also in     attendance was the     Permanent Secretary, Titus Preville.
In the two hour    meeting, the representatives of    the St Lucia Hotel & Tourism Association (SLHTA) presented the    Minister    with abroad overview  of the tourism sector and issued an     invitation to the minister    to visit with various    tourism industry     stakeholders in early January 2012.
The    SLHTA also    suggested a more structured discussion forum to take     place in March and    May     of 2012.
Among the many topics discussed were the     new configuration of the    ministry in regard to    aviation,    airlift, the impact of      the APD on hotels    and business from the    UK, infrastructural challenges, visitor safety and the Tourist Board Marketing budget for 2012.      Mrs Troubetzkoy,  on behalf of the St Lucia and     Tourism Association (SLHTA)  suggested that in light of national priorities and the global economic climate,     the    St Lucia Tourist Board budget should be reviewed to ensure its most    effective    utilization and offered to submit further recommendations    in    this regard. Mrs Troubetzkoy, on behalf the SLHTA,    further suggested a budget increase to allow    the    SLTB the opportunity to    market more aggressively    in    niche emerging    markets. Both the Minister      of     Tourism, Heritage    &    Creative Industries and     the SLHTA    representatives stated    their     willingness to    schedule and attend    regular meetings between    the    Ministry of Tourism, St Lucia Tourist Board    and    SLHTA to  upkeep an active dialogue at all     times.
On behalf of the St Lucia Hotel & Tourism Association (SLHTA), Mrs    Troubetzkoy extended her thanks to     the Minister    for having made available    ample time to address the    tourism sector and    for his willingness to engage    in personal dialogue    on a regular basis.