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by Jacques Hinkson-Compton, GIS
The Minister of Tourism, Investment, Creative Industries, Culture and Information, Dr Ernest Hilaire, expressed his wish to see the different sectors work together, further strengthening the island’s economy and creating jobs. Community tourism is one initiative for this purpose.
“The Community Tourism Initiative is about providing authentic Saint Lucia experiences to our visitors. Many agents and those who sell understand what we can offer. They want to see authentic things. They want to see how we live our lives. , how we earn our living. We can make it an economic activity.
Upcoming plans to improve the tourism experience, the livelihoods of workers in the sector and create jobs were also revealed by the minister.
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“In the next few months, we will present a new tourism development law to parliament. The law that currently exists does not favor the tourist industry, which benefits our population first and foremost. Our tourism industry, which brings in more than a billion dollars, is largely foreign-owned. How to change it? For example, when we give incentives to developers, they will have to demonstrate that they will follow green energy practices, forge links with agriculture and pay workers a higher wage than what is prevailing in the market. When we provide incentives, they must be tied to a clearly identifiable national priority so that we can reorient the industry and serve our people. Agriculture is at the center of it all.
The minister believes that the initiative will also contribute to lowering the island’s food import bill.
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