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Wednesday, August 18, 2004 - International carrier, Continental
Airlines has expressed interest in beginning a new scheduled service to St.
Lucia. Minister of Tourism, Hon. Philip J. Pierre, Director of Tourism, Hilary
Modeste and St. Lucia Tourist Board (SLTB) Regional Marketing Manager, Lorraine
St. Jules met with top officials of Continental in Newark, NJ last week, to
discuss the possibility of the new flight.
Continental Airlines is scouting new areas for market expansion in the region
and has singled out St. Lucia. After analyzing St. Lucia’s destination
statistics for the past three years, the airline’s Strategic Planning Manager,
Alex Heiter described St. Lucia’s growth in arrivals as impressive. According to
official statistics for the Caribbean, St. Lucia is one of the fastest growing
tourism destinations in the region.
In the past two years, the island has been able to increase its airlift from
major markets, such as the United States and the United Kingdom. Minister Pierre
said, “In the past two years, we have been able to attract a new service from
Delta Airlines, renewed interest from American Airlines, a new flight from
British Midlands International, and increased service from Virgin Atlantic. This
suggests that we are hitting the right notes in the market with our promotions,
as well as the quality of our product.”
The recent preliminary round of talks with Continental Airlines will be followed
by another meeting in six weeks time, when the airline will present concrete
plans for the proposed flight.
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