This winter, British Airways’ daily service from Gatwick will serve St Lucia only, with tags to Grenada, Guyana and Tobago removed – freeing up an additional 51,000 seats.
Speaking to TTG at WTM London, Tourism Minister Ernest Hilaire said: “For us, this is a major issue."
He said the island no longer had services from Virgin Atlantic and Tui, while much of the family market to St Lucia has been lost after several key hotels switched to serving the couples market instead, spurred by the island being the Caribbean’s biggest honeymoon destination.
St Lucia attracted 40,000 visitors between January and August, a dramatic fall from its 2019 record of 82,000.
“A significant part of our family accommodation is no longer available,” Hilaire admitted, adding the absence of these visitors had been felt among excursion operators.
However, he said “a couple” of new family resorts were due to open. “We expect to open Hyatt Dreams in mid 2027 and A’Ila Resorts will be opening," he revealed.
More flight capacity
Elsewhere, work is due to start on enlarging the island’s Hewanorra International airport, including a new terminal.
The three-storey 274,000sq/ft building is due to be completed by 2030, with an expanded departure hall, executive lounge, upgraded baggage systems and passenger boarding bridges, plus a new air traffic control tower.
The upgraded facilities are also designed to accommodate larger aircraft, including the Boeing 777, supporting opportunities for more international flights. Hilaire said the works would enable the airport to handle 11 flights an hour compared with the current “five or six”.
The airport also has a new express ferry link to Rodney Bay, launched by Sea Spray Cruises, which Hilaire said had reduced travelling time from up to 90 minutes by road to “probably 45 minutes to one hour”.
New dive park
New attractions include an underwater dive park at Anse La Verdure on the southwest coast, with a collection of 31 sculptures inspired by Saint Lucia’s history.
The site, for certified divers, adds to the existing 22 dive locations around the island and is the first of three phases of an underwater park.
“The second, open in October next year, will be about culture – sports, music, carnival," Hilaire said. "The third will be about heritage and a marine research park."
St Lucia launched two sports partnerships in 2026, beginning in June, when it became Arsenal Football Club's Official Destination Partner. “We did it at the right time, just as Arsenal won the Premier League,” Hilaire said.
This was followed by September’s deal with Saracens Rugby Club. “That opened a whole new space for us, the visibility has been really significant."
