Julien Alfred is again making global headlines following her presence at the recently concluded World Travel Market (WTM) earlier this month.
The 23-year-old, two-time Olympic medallist sprinter represented the island at the WTM in London, marking her debut as an official travel ambassador for Saint Lucia.
Tourism Minister Dr Ernest Hilaire, who also attended the event, lauded the athlete’s poise and professionalism.
“We attended the World Travel Market in London, which is one of the largest tourism trade shows. Our featured person was Julien Alfred. As you know, she’s a tourism ambassador, and she definitely made us proud,” Hilaire told Monday’s pre-cabinet briefing. “Her contribution during that week was outstanding.
“Not only was she understanding, meeting people, talking about Saint Lucia, and of course taking photos, she visited a couple of schools in London meeting young people, and the schools themselves have children of Saint Lucian descendants. She also hosted a number of events for travel agents for tour operators. That was one of the best world travel markets that we’ve ever attended, and Saint Lucia certainly starred at that event,” the Minister stated.
WTM is one of the biggest events on the international tourism calendar.
The globally recognised annual event brings together professionals from the travel and tourism industry to network, negotiate, and discuss trends shaping the sector.
The gathering serves as a networking hub and offers destination marketing opportunities for countries.
Typically, household names serve as ambassadors for destinations. These high-profile individuals can come from various fields, such as travel, entertainment, sports, or business, helping draw attention to the event while promoting its themes and goals.
For Saint Lucia, Alfred’s presence was significant. As far as local officials are concerned, the Ciceron native’s contributions to the island’s marketability on the global stage cannot be overstated.
Following Alfred’s Olympic gold medal-winning performance in Paris, Saint Lucia became the second most-searched country on Google, highlighting her impact.
As Alfred continues to shine on the global stage, the intersection of sports and tourism development is becoming increasingly apparent.
This highlights the punch our Island can deliver on the global stage. We have huge potential but that is being kept stagnant by the petty politics, poor governance and blind successive governments who fail to allow the nation to reach it’s fullest potential. I have great pride in what we have achieved as a nation, given that we are only 180,000 by population size. Look at what we have achieved and we can achieve even more if we come together as a nation. We have under utilised generation after generation of talented people in various fields. A total waste of human capital. I hope Ms Alfred’s exploits in Paris 2024 will open the government’s eyes to the various possibilities that exist in Saint Lucia. Thank you for your service Ms Alfred.
Poor Julien, I really felt sorry for her at the World Travel Market. She was tucked away in a small dingy corner where not much people noticed her. This was a crying shame. I visited the World Travel market on the Tuesday and just about noticed her. St Lucia’s stand was pitiful to say the least. They were on a side while other islands like Barbados, Bermuda, Bahamas and the BVI had solid visible stands where people could actually visit them. You would have to be lucky to see St Lucia’s stand. There wasn’t much excitement around it.
The Tourist board in London is a waste of space. These people have no clue about how to organize tourism in the UK and to get a WTM stand that stands out. They are penny pinchers and tight fisted. The Tourism minister and his lawyer side kick was just there to score for themselves. These two don’t have a clue. Not a lot of people saw the golden girl and it was sad to see. As a UK Lucian I was ashamed to say the least. Is this the way to run your country’s tourism. I went over to the Saudi Arabian stand and it was lively. They offered you tea and coffee. I speak Arabic and was able to say something to them. St Lucia had nothing really to show the world and I can attest to that. These organizers and promoters need to reel and come again. That stand was not fit for purpose. Poor Julien, what was she doing among these people who have no vision and foresight… I wonder!
Depitoss, You are so onpoint there bro. I too visited the WTM and was ashamed to see the corner where St Lucia was placed in. I did not see Julien when I went with my friend. I saw the minister and a few travellers on the stand which was on a side where people were walking by and not taking notice. For crying out loud if you are going to do something do it good or don’t do it at all. Most of our islands were housed in big splendid stands which stood out for all to see.
SLTB that was not good enough and you need to do better than that. I feel Julien should have nothing to do with promoting your tourism board. You did not make her feel like a superstar. She looked too ordinary from what my mate who saw her the day before said. Common now you can do better than that.