Former Tourism Minister Dominic Fedee says that while tourism officials have been touting huge arrival numbers and proposed increased flights into the island; he believes that these figures indicate recover and not growth. Fedee voiced these concerns on an episode of round table talk, aired on social media last week.
According to Fedee, the Tourism Industry has not seen a return to pre-covid visitor arrivals despite the uptick of people travelling to the island. He noted that while the SLTA has announced two new daily international flights and almost 6 new regional flights, set to commence from April 2024, this number pales in comparison to the 13 flights lost during the summer of 2023.
Fedee criticized the allocation of 3 million dollars outlined in the 2024/2025 budget for the Community Tourism Agency. Fedee believes such a paltry allowance is grossly insufficient to enable the CTA, to make any significant headway in achieving its mandate. Tourism agencies, he says need to be able to capitalize on the island’s international reputation as the leading destination for honeymoons, nature and adventure travel.
He has advised the government to put a more robust marketing plan into action in order to ensure the resurgence of the industry. Fedee also implored the government to get a handle on the crime situation as it does not inspire confidence to the average tourist. This he says is evidenced by the fact that many neighboring islands have returned to 2019 visitor arrival figures, and are showing significant growth.
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