The Saint Lucia Tourism Authority (SLTA) collaborated with international streamer and social media influencer IShowSpeed recently for the Saint Lucian leg of his Caribbean tour.
Born Darren Jason Watkins Jr, IShowSpeed is a prominent American YouTuber and live streamer with more than 53 million subscribers on YouTube, alongside millions of followers across other social media platforms. He ranks among the world’s top streamers and is widely known for his high‑energy and often unpredictable live broadcasts.
IShowSpeed arrived in Saint Lucia late Monday after visiting Barbados. He was hosted by the SLTA in Soufrière before travelling to the north of the island the following day, where he began a live stream watched by millions worldwide.
During the stream, he engaged with local personalities, including steel pan player Chaz, Umpa, Daren Sammy, Ezra D Fun Machine, as well as crafters at the arcade, numerous schoolchildren and the public. IShowSpeed also showcased several of Saint Lucia’s landmarks and attractions, such as Reduit Beach, Pigeon Island, the Castries Market, Derek Walcott Square and the Pitons.
According to the CEO of the SLTA, Louis Lewis, the event aligned with an initiative to significantly increase the global awareness of Saint Lucia.
“The event in itself was very important; it gave us visibility in places that we could not ordinarily reach, and the returns on investment were one of the highest that we have had in a while,” Lewis stated.
He explained that the return on investment was estimated at 77 to 1, meaning the country received seventy‑seven times more in global visibility than it spent.
The CEO stated that the streamer’s itinerary also aligned with the SLTA’s approach to marketing Saint Lucia.
“You would have seen reflections of our culture, our history, our culinary experiences, our heritage, all being featured, and of course, the entertainment. For the execution of that event, we also exhibited the warmth and hospitality of Saint Lucians, their adventure and their kindness and the camaraderie that we display as a people,” Lewis said.
He said the SLTA observed that the live stream attracted more than 4.4 million viewers.
“It reached our major source markets – the US, Canada, the UK, Europe, France, Germany and other parts,” the CEO said.
“It also sparked interest with the Saint Lucian diaspora in many areas. The engagement was positive, and when we look at the metrics, the sentiment analysis of the content was very strong and positive, and the sharing of information was phenomenal. We measured that there were almost four million people who would have clicked and forwarded information coming out of that stream,” Lewis revealed.
The SLTA official anticipates that the engagement with IShowSpeed will have a positive impact on visitor arrivals over time.
“It is for us now to build on that visibility and continue to market Saint Lucia,” Lewis said.
The CEO thanked those who came together to make the event possible, including the team at the SLTA, volunteers and collaborative agencies such as the Soufriere Regional Development Foundation, the creatives and the police.
Very happy that we took this opportunity seriously. I do believe that this is also an educational opportunity. We need to address this form or media and recognise its potential for our youth. Show that it is a business model and it is hard work and that is not just some guy goofing around on camera. There are lessons to be learned and some of us older folk need to embrace it and see the possitives.