Local market vendors are urging the Saint Lucian government to support agriculture as the 2025-26 cruise season gets underway.
One vendor emphasised the reliance on tourism for income, explaining, “the way bananas used to sell before; it’s not like that anymore.. so we’re only depending on tourism,”
“Maintenance of produce is more expensive, so the sales are higher, especially with the weather changes like the rain and the heat, and if all your produce dies, you lose everything,” the vendor, who requested anonymity, told St Lucia Times.
She also called for investment in farming infrastructure, saying, “The government should assist the farmers and invest in greenhouses…because if the country does not have food …when you have a nation that is hungry, no food or cannot afford to buy the food, you find that people will start stealing, crime will increase.”
She shared that, due to the challenging state of the economy, people are budgeting carefully, and that her heart breaks for some customers because “they cannot afford”, and sometimes she even gives the produce to them for free.
The cruise season officially began this week with the maiden call of the adult-only Carnival Conquest, which brought 3,756 passengers. The Ministry of Tourism hosted an onboard ceremony to welcome the cruise, exchanging tokens of appreciation with the captain and crew.
Minister of Tourism Ernest Hilaire expressed optimism about the season, saying, “We are expecting the cruise season to be bigger than last year…we are expecting a very good season for the cruise tourism arrivals.”
He further projected that within two years, cruise tourism could approach one million arrivals, calling it “phenomenal”, and noted that “a lot of work is happening now…on the waterfront and the vendors’ arcade, work has started, Soufriere has started.”
Other vendors shared mixed reactions about the early impact of the cruise season. Lorain told St Lucia Times, “I had a little sale in local juices…they requested more of the soursop juices, which I did not have…last year wasn’t so good in sales, but this year is a little better.”
Another vendor who wished to remain anonymous added, “Nothing has changed. Sales have been in between…not too good and not too bad…As the cruise ship season is on, maybe the rate will go up.”
