Hotelier Allen Chastanet was named St.
Lucia's minister of tourism and civil aviation by John Compton, the
newly elected prime minister. He replaces Phillip Pierre. Chastanet
also replaces Pierre as chairman of the Caribbean Tourism
Organization. He spoke with Caribbean Editor Gay Nagle Myers about
the challenges he faces.
Q:
Your professional resume is diversified -- tourism director of St.
Lucia in the early '90s, eight years with Air Jamaica, director of
sales and marketing for Island Outpost and managing director of
Coco Resorts on St. Lucia. How will this experience come into play
as tourism minister?
A:
Actually, I've resigned from Coco Resorts to avoid any conflict of
interest. Coco Palm and Coco Kreole will be handled by my sister,
Feolla, as managing director, along with a team of managers.
Everything I've learned thus far will be invaluable in helping
shape my new responsibilities. On St. Lucia, the whole product
image is changing.
More than 1,000
rooms will come on line in the next six months. Several four-star
resorts will join our current inventory, and our niche development
is expanding to include the luxury market, yachting, villas and
golf as well as the traditional honeymoon market. This will require
effective promotion, savvy marketing and lots of
cooperation.
Q:
As tourism minister, what do you see as the goals and
challenges?
A:
The good news is that St. Lucia has been described as one of the
best destinations in the Caribbean. It's got a lot of buzz right
now and a lot of new development, but that in and of itself will
not bring additional visitors here. It just tells us that we are on
the right track, but there is a lot that remains to be done. One of
the biggest challenges we face is having sufficient air access to
meet the demands of visitors and to fill existing and new
inventory. Tourism growth will depend on the growth of civil
aviation. That is a critical component that will allow us to expand
on many economic fronts. Strong private/public sector
collaboration, support and marketing are needed. I'm hoping the new
budget, which comes out in April, allocates $15 million or more to
tourism, up from the $10 million last year.
Q:
What do you want in terms of new air service?
A:
St. Lucia needs more nonstop, year-round service, particularly from
the U.S. Northeast, our biggest market. We lost it with Air
Jamaica, although we understand its decision to pull out. We need
more seasonal service, too, from markets such as Boston, Washington
and Chicago. I'd like to see growth from US Airways, which now
offers a weekly flight from both Charlotte and
Philadelphia.
Q:
How important is tourism to the new government of St.
Lucia?
A:
John Compton is the father of tourism on this island. He helped
bring about St. Lucia's independence from Great Britain in 1979 and
led us as prime minister for 29 years, from 1964 to 1979 and from
1982 to 1996. His government is totally committed to tourism in
terms of income and employment for the people. He's got a long-term
vision of tourism as driving the economy of St. Lucia.
Q:
You're a native St. Lucian with family roots that run deep on the
island. A headline in a local paper the day you were sworn in
trumpeted "Allen's the man!" What's your reaction to
that?
A:
If I can't deliver, I'm out of a job. The term of government is
five years, and I'm no different than any of the other appointed
cabinet members. I intend to give it my all.
To
contact reporter Gay Nagle Myers, send e-mail to [email protected].