OPINION: Improve life for residents, and tourism will follow

By Jahia DeMerville

Editor’s Note: Following the publication of our feature ‘It’s not what it used to be’: Has Rodney Bay lost its appeal?, St Lucia Times received the following opinion piece from a 14-year-old reader. The submission has been edited for grammar and clarity, but reflects the author’s views.

As a young, 14-year-old Saint Lucian, I read the recent article about Rodney Bay with great interest, and have some opinions and statements I would like to share, both in reply to the anonymous businessman and concerns about factors that influence and impact tourism in Saint Lucia.

While I understand concerns about Rodney Bay, I believe the discussion should go beyond tourism. Many restaurants are quieter because the rising cost of living has reduced locals’ spending power. Visitors also deserve a positive experience, so criticism should be viewed as an opportunity to improve rather than dismissed. At the same time, I hope the same urgency shown in protecting tourism areas will also be extended to communities that have struggled with crime for many years. Improving infrastructure, public safety, and the quality of life for residents will naturally improve the experience of visitors as well.

If restaurants are emptier than they used to be, that may not only be because Rodney Bay has “lost its appeal.” If wages stay relatively low while food, rent, electricity, and imported goods become more expensive, many Saint Lucians simply have less disposable income. Families naturally prioritise necessities over eating out. That’s an economic issue, not just a tourism issue.

Rodney Bay is an important tourism area, so it’s understandable why the government would prioritise patrols there. Tourism is one of Saint Lucia’s biggest revenue sources. However, residents naturally ask: ‘If extra patrols can be assigned to protect tourists, why can’t communities that have struggled with crime for years receive the same sustained attention?’

That’s a reasonable public policy question. It isn’t necessarily an either-or situation, but people understandably want to see both tourist areas and residential communities become safer.

We don’t want visitors leaving saying, ‘I never want to come back’. We should want them to leave excited to return. Unfortunately, that hasn’t been the case recently. Visitors have been reporting that they “just want to go home” halfway through their visit in Saint Lucia. I believe that this has a lot more to do with the state of our country in general, rather than the empty streets of Rodney Bay.

Why improving residents’ quality of life will naturally improve tourism

In recent posts, tourists have publicly shared disappointing experiences in Saint Lucia, describing aggressive solicitation, high costs, and concerns about infrastructure. Whether every criticism is fair or not, these perceptions affect our country’s reputation.

Why rising prices are keeping locals away from Rodney Bay

Tourists come to Saint Lucia often. In some instances, compared to their country, everything here is loads more expensive. It’s not just expensive to them, but it’s also expensive to locals.

Why crime prevention should extend beyond tourist areas

Before tourists visit a country, they don’t look at how many crimes are committed on average in a single community. They don’t search ‘crime rate in Gros Islet’. They search ‘crime rate in Saint Lucia’. So, extra security measures were implemented to ensure Gros Islet is safe for tourists. What about the rest of the island? There are tourists everywhere; more importantly, there is crime everywhere. And we shouldn’t be tending to crime in Rodney Bay quicker and better because it’s a tourist attraction.

Why you should want visitors to leave Saint Lucia wanting to return

There is a reason why Saint Lucia is so heavily dependent on tourism. The continued expansion of tourism infrastructure along our coastline shows how important tourism is to our community. However, investing in tourism should not come at the expense of improving everyday life for residents.

Tourism is the foundation of Saint Lucia’s economy, generating approximately 65 per cent of the island’s GDP, creating annual revenue exceeding EC$3.5 billion. When more than half of a country’s income comes from tourism, you’re bound to try improving that country so that it becomes better, to attract more tourists, and to make more money. But we are doing it so wrong.

I believe we may be placing too much emphasis on certain issues while overlooking others that have a greater impact on both residents and visitors. I am not sure whether it’s because Saint Lucia is a Caribbean island and there is competition among Caribbean islands. Perhaps we yearn for the title ‘Best Caribbean Island’. But, before that, we should seek safety, comfort, cohesion among our citizens, proper leadership, and satisfied visitors.

Jahia DeMerville is a 14-year-old student at Corinth Secondary School and a resident of Babonneau. She has a keen interest in youth advocacy and enjoys writing, sketching and researching topics that interest her. DeMerville says she was inspired to write this Letter to the Editor after a lengthy discussion and pointers from her friend, Ryan Hippolyte, following their reading of a St Lucia Times feature published on July 4, ‘It’s not what it used to be’: Has Rodney Bay lost its appeal?