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Heritage Tourism Heading Towards New Developments

Contact: Primus Hutchinson

Wednesday, September 04, 2002 - The St. Lucia Heritage Tourism Programme which is geared primarily towards the protection of the island’s natural resources and by extension improving and maintaining the economic viability of the communities involved in this programme has embarked on an initiative placing greater emphasis on authenticity.

This new strategy according to Programme Co-ordinator Sylvester Clauzel was born out of the need to develop a more unique product that will result in a greater visitor participation. According to Clauzel, the various communities involved in Heritage Tourism can utilize and develop a basic product that can generate greater touristic interest thereby resulting in significant economic benefits.

“You can take very crude product, without doing to much to them. You can take ruins and how you interpret those ruins, the stories you tell about them allow those things to come alive. You can take a rock and make it come alive. And so you can have product in its natural authenticity, you don’t need to take people from rural areas and bring them on a stage in a hotel, you can have them to act they product in the way they always do, in its authentic way and make it attractive,” Clauzel explained.

Clauzel is however expressing satisfaction with the natural products that has been developed in a number of communities involved in Nature Heritage Tourism. He says “the future looks very promising.”

The Programme Co-odinator singled out the community of Soufriere because of it’s natural attractions, which have been able to develop very high quality products. The Fond La Ti Sabre Creole park, situated at Fond Assau in the Babonneau community also came in for commendation as it offers a cultural attraction. The Heritage Tourism Official also highlighted the Friday Night activities in Anse La Raye, Dennery and Vieux Fort as having produced some brilliant products that have attracted both locals and visitors alike.

The St. Lucia Heritage Tourism Programme, was established by the Government of St. Lucia in September 1997 with the aim of enhancing and strengthening St. Lucia’s nature heritage sector to result in optimal economic returns to host communities.

Heritage Tourism Week will be observed from September 8 to 14 under the theme “Developing a nation, not just a Destination”

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