Ernest Hilaire talks about impact of cricket in Saint Lucia tourism

Saint Lucia: The Deputy Prime Minister and the Tourism Minister of Saint Lucia, Ernest Hilaire, talked about the recently held cricket T20 World Cup by the International Cricket Council (ICC) in his media appearance. As the island nation also hosted some matches, the minister highlighted the impact of the tournament on the nation’s tourism sector. The minister disclosed that the number of tourists in the nation increased during the tournament.

The tournament was hosted by the nation of the United States of America along with the nations of the West Indies. The six World Cup matches were organised by Saint Lucia at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground. The venue hosted not just the organisers, teams, staff, and commentators but also countless cricket fans, which clearly brought a hike in the tourism reports of the island nation.

In his statement, Ernest Hilaire mentioned the data on tourism in the nation, according to which he said that historically, the number of visitors always remains on the low side during the month of June. However, this year, due to the global event of Cricket, the nation saw a huge uptick in the number of tourists on local shores and an increase in bookings of flights and rooms.

The minister said that the nation recorded around a forty-two percent increase in the number of visitors in the month of June this year. He stated that all the major markets in the hosting nations saw an increase in numbers, including the United States, which recorded a growth as high as fifty-five percent. Talking about the region, the minister said that the Caribbean grew around twenty-five percent in June as compared to the last year.

Minister Ernest Hilaire also talked about the international visitors who are in Saint Lucia just for the cricket game. He stated that the island nation hosted international teams and spectators who came majorly from nations like India, South Africa, Australia, Sri Lanka, and Afghanistan. The number of visitors also impacts non-traditional markets, which recorded a growth of nearly three hundred and twenty-seven percent.

Minister Hilaire, who also served formerly as CEO of Cricket West Indies, mentioned the growth of the arrivals as compared to the previous years. Ernest Hilaire said, “So we are fifteen percent ahead of 2023 and six percent ahead of 2019. And we know 2019 was our best year on record. So we are already ahead of 2019 and of where we were last year up to June. So I mean, it is fantastic news for us. And it showed the impact that cricket had on our arrivals in Saint Lucia during the month of June.”

The Minister of Tourism also added in his words, “In other countries, there are multiple ways of moving around. You can take a train, you can take the bus, or you can fly to the venue. We are islands. You have to get a flight or a boat to come to the venue. So sometimes, that is what happens. There is a demand for the destination, and till people are buying tickets, prices will go up. We need more flights, but to get more flights, we need more rooms.”