with remarkable gains post-pandemic. In 2024, the island welcomed approximately 435,959 overnight visitors, marking a 14% increase over 2023 and even surpassing the pre-COVID high of 2019 by about 3%. The cruise industry also rebounded strongly—2024 saw around 723,500 cruise passengers, up nearly 18% year-on-year

 

Key growth drivers include robust airlift expansion—notably from the U.S. and Caribbean—as well as standout performance during major events like the Saint Lucia Jazz & Arts Festival and the ICC World Cup Cricket matches, which drove double-digit monthly arrival increases (e.g., a 27% jump in August and 42% surge in June compared to 2023).

 

The United States remained the dominant source market, contributing over 50% of stay-over arrivals, with a year-on-year rise of approximately 15–20%.

 

Looking ahead, confidence remains high: with new luxury properties like the Secrets St Lucia and Sapphires Sands resorts opening in 2025, combined with an expanding calendar of festivals and increased cruise capacity, Saint Lucia is positioned for sustained tourism growth well into the coming years.

 

 

New Resort Developments
The 355-room, all-inclusive Secrets St. Lucia Resort & Spa debuted June 4, the second Hyatt Inclusive Collection property on the island.

 

Located on Choc Beach on the northwest coast of St. Lucia, at the site of the former St. James Club Morgan Bay, the resort features five à la carte gourmet restaurants, a buffet, crêperie, and tapas bar, grill and café, as well as seven bars and lounges.
All guest rooms have private balconies; premium options include swim-up suites and Preferred Club rooms with better views, personalized check-in, and access to an exclusive lounge, a dedicated beach area, and butler service. Guests in all accommodations can access 24-hour room service.

 

Included amenities such as a spa, tennis and pickleball, beach volleyball, yoga, a jogging trail, windsurfing, sailboats, and kayaks are located on property; nearby (and for an additional fee) are horseback riding, golf, catamaran excursions, deep-sea fishing, and guided snorkeling.

 

Secrets St. Lucia General Manager Ricardo Esteban touted the property’s “panoramic views on a secluded, picturesque, palm-studded beach in close proximity to reef-diving sites and fishing villages.” The resort is just north of Sandals Halcyon Beach Resort and south of Rodney Bay, one of St. Lucia’s primary resort areas.

 

Hyatt’s Zoëtry Marigot Bay St. Lucia all-inclusive opened in 2022, and the Hyatt Cas en Bas Beach Resort, the island’s first Destinations by Hyatt property, is expected to open this year.

 

 

Another Wellness Resort is Coming to St. Lucia
St. Lucia, a destination known for wellness resorts like BodyHoliday, StolenTime, and Anse Chastanet, will soon give health-focused travelers a new  lodging choice.

 

The first phase of the Alila resort is scheduled to open in summer 2025 with 65 guest rooms, but the majority of the property will debut in 2026, including a spa and fitness center, shopping center, conference center, 21 restaurants, a 153-room family hotel, a 320-room adults-only hotel, a 312-room residential communist, and 90 luxury villas.

 

The Alila — also part of the Hyatt brand family — is being built on the site of the former Caribbean Jewel Beach Resort in Mount Pimard. The area is known for its historic World War II jetty and a hiking trail leading to the summit of 560-foot Mt. Pimard, known for its 360-degree views.

 

As part of the project, the developers are creating Mount Pimard Public Beach Park to ensure continued public access to the area, and plan to repurpose the pier as a boat jetty.

 

The Mt. Pimard trailhead is currently blocked due to construction, but Werner Houson of the St. Lucia Department of Physical Planning recently told the St. Lucia Times that “we’re trying to find a way to still give people access when the hotel opens … because we know that a lot of people enjoy unlimited access  to the trail.”

 

 

Tourism Priorities Include Community, Sports and Events
The best people to introduce visitors to St. Lucia are St. Lucians themselves, says Dexter Percil, director of marketing for the St. Lucia Tourism Authority. As St. Lucia adds new resorts and welcomes record numbers of cruise visitors to the island, Percil says a new Community Tourism Agency will help facilitate activities and attractions operated by St. Lucians.

 

“The beauty of community tourism is making sure that you have different products in different components of the community,” he says. The agency also aims to spread tourism offerings geographically around the island.

 

Examples include ATV Direct, a new ATV tour company in Micoud that offers guided excursions to beaches and into the rainforest; and the Mount Kailash Rejuvenation Center, a health and wellness center run by St. Lucian herbal physician Priest Kailash Leonce.

 

“He has a full immersion of nature and natural remedies and natural healing,” says Percil. “Even some of the all-inclusive properties are asking to try to get the guests to go out to see things to do, so it makes sense for us to [expand] the number of activities and experiences that we have on island.”

 

 

Cruiseport Expansion
St. Lucia welcomed 723,500 cruise passengers in 2024, a 17.6 percent increase year over year that is attributable to more frequent port calls at both Port Castries and Soufrière.

 

Cruise passengers also will benefit from a major expansion of the Castries cruise port, which includes a berth expansion to accommodate the world’s largest cruise ships with an eye on bringing the total annual number of cruise visitor over the one million mark. The plan calls for more space for local vendors, in line with the destination’s community tourism focus. In addition, a new Courtyard by Marriott hotel will open in 2026 near the Castries port.

 

 

A Focus on Event-Oriented Tourism
A recent MasterCard report highlighted the importance of event-oriented tourism, and St. Lucia is leaning into the trend, Percil says.

 

“We just had our Jazz Festival in May and we’re getting ready for Carnival in July, which is the single largest month for arrivals on the island,” he says, noting that visitors are welcome to attend all carnival events, sign up for private parties, and even get costumes and march in the carnival parades. In October, traditional food, music, and clothing will take center stage with St. Lucia’s annual Creole Festival, he says.

 

 

Inter-island Connectivity
The St. Lucia Tourism Authority is involved in efforts to improve inter-island connectivity and encourage island-hopping between Caribbean destinations, says Percil. Day-tripping destinations from St. Lucia include Martinique, which is close geographically but quite distinct culturally as a part of the French Caribbean.

 

Express des Îles offers ferry services between Dominica, Martinique, Guadeloupe, and Saint Lucia, including the Ruby Express, a modern high-speed ferry that increases the comfort level and decreases the time involved in crossing between St. Lucia and Martinique.

 

“You’re in St. Lucia and then in an hour you’re in Martinique, which is like Europe,” says Percil. “It’s totally different, so you get the best of both worlds.” For more information please visit: www.stlucia.org