Above: St Lucia (CJ Photo)

By Dana Niland
CJ Contributor

St Lucia’s tourism figures continue to rise for 2015, and are up 6 percent for the first five months of the year.

The Caribbean Tourism Organization announced that visitors arrivals to region were up six-percent at the end of the first quarter, over which St Lucia alone recorded a 6.4 percent improvement.

“As impressive as the growth performance figures were, there will be no letup in St. Lucia’s push toward reenergizing and invigorating the international marketplace via well-orchestrated strategies in key resources markets,” said St Lucia Tourism Minister Lorne Theophilus.

St Lucia’s growth continues to increase for the second quarter, at a rate of 1.4-percent and 7.2-percent in April and May respectively.

Stay-over arrivals reached an all-time high for the first four months of the year, while May’s figure – 29,658 arrivals – was the highest recorded for that month in the last five years, according to the data.

The North American Market has reported strong numbers this year, owing to an increase in airlift and strategic marketing approach.

The Caribbean market has shown the greatest percentage increase in arrivals to St Lucia. By the end of May, travel by those from within the region to St Lucia was up 21 percent from the same period last year.