Tourism growth should not outpace utility planning, NURC chief warns

During a speech at the Saint Lucia Hospitality and Tourism Association’s annual general meeting on Wednesday, June 17, CEO of the National Utilities Regulatory Commission (NURC), Skeeta Gibbs, issued a stark warning that utility infrastructure must be a key part of tourism development.

“Utilities must be a central part of the conversations on investment planning, tourism expansion, land use planning, climate resilience and national infrastructure development,” Gibbs said.

“Too often utility infrastructure is expected to catch up after development … has already taken place.”

She called for a change in thinking so that utilities are considered from the start, not left until later, which she described as “costly and unsustainable”.

Addressing hoteliers and tourism stakeholders, Gibbs said tourism must play a significant role in national infrastructure planning because of the demands it places on utilities, which are essential for residents, the investment expectations it creates, and the economic consequences of utility service disruptions.

She also cited the need for reliable water, electricity, internet and sewage services to ensure efficient service delivery.

According to Gibbs, this shift could improve the quality of Saint Lucia’s tourism product and increase the country’s stock in the global market.

“…In this environment, the state of our utility infrastructure directly affects the standard of our national tourism offering,” she said.

Looking ahead, Gibbs stressed the need for more reliable data and evidence-based planning, ensuring that both medium- and long-term project needs are considered when making decisions.

She also asked stakeholders to think about some important questions for the future:

“What kind of tourism product are we offering? What level of utility reliability will that project require? How do we protect consumers while enabling necessary development? How do we ensure that growth in one sector does not compromise service quality for households and communities?”