St. Lucia Welcomes More Airlift from Jamaican, US Carriers

The return of Air Jamaica service to St. Lucia from New York (Kennedy Airport) on February 23, plus increased lift from United and Delta this winter, highlight St. Lucia´s tourism product this year.

Air Jamaica dropped its service last March to reduce losses from fuel costs and the drop in passengers after 9/11. The carrier´s return this month “represents a momentous occasion,” according to Costello Michel, chairman of the St. Lucia Tourist Board. “Air Jamaica served us well in the past and it will become one of the most important carriers in the further development of our tourism,” he said.

Mr. Michel said that the U.S. market “is our biggest market, and we have a lot of our nationals who live in the New York area, which also will help fill the flights from JFK.”

St. Lucia welcomed 103,000 US visitors through November, up 4.3 percent over the same period in 2004. Total visitors through November totaled 290,047, up 6.8 percent over the first 11 months of 2004. The second largest market after the U.S. is Europe, followed by “other,” and then by Canada.