“Where is Saint Lucia?” one headline by an international news outlet screamed after Julien Alfred comfortably bagged the 100 m Gold Medal at the Paris Olympics on August 3, 2024.
Now, millions worldwide have come to know the name, Saint Lucia, thanks to Julien Alfred and, of course, online search engines like Google.
Since August 3, 2024, Saint Lucia has become second only to the United States regarding online searches.
Alfred’s Instagram followers have grown to more than 130,000 and counting, as she continues to trend quite high on Google searches this week.
Cognizant of these facts, the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority (SLTA) is stepping up plans, along with the Government of Saint Lucia, to not only welcome Julien Alfred back home in a big way, but to align the track-star with brand Saint Lucia strategically.
The SLTA website has already revamped its home page.
The site, which has seen an increase in hits since the Paris Olympics, now boldly proclaims, “Congratulations to the fastest woman in the world, Olympic Champion Julien Alfred.”
It further states, “SLTA Celebrates Julien Alfred and her 2024 Gold & Silver Olympic Wins. Visitors are invited to Explore Saint Lucia Like an Olympian.”
Visitors have been invited to explore some of the formal facilities where Alfred has trod, such as the Soufriere mini-stadium with a view of the pitons. They are also lured to some of the athlete’s natural treks, such as the beaches, rain forests, and soothing mud baths at Sulphur Springs, among others.
Ms Alfred has given Saint Lucia something that no government could have given in 45 yrs of independence and the present administration will do well to grab that opportunity and make a success at it. But if this editorial is anything to go by, I suspect they ( the government ) are not hitting that mark effectively. The government could have been more poetic in the way they invited foreigners to our shores. For example: the government could have said, come visit the the mini stadium with a backdrop to our Majestic Pitons that inspired the heights to which the fastest woman in the world Ms Julien Alfred has attained. Or Come visit the mineral water baths that infused our mighty Olympian with the vigor and speed of the mythical mighty Mercury and feel the rejuvenating effects of its waters. ( Those who understand the origins of the Olympics will understand this particular analogy and I guarantee you many wealthy and learned Westerners (those who have the money to travel ) will understand this analogy. Or come trek our rain forest and breathe the clean and refreshing air that filled the lungs of our Mighty Olympian Ms Julien Alfred that powered her to 100m victory and 200m success. Etc etc etc….
No doubt Ms Alfred’s success will redound on Saint Lucia but the government must do everything possible to capture the benefits for society including having an elite sporting programme for getting more people into more sporting disciplines to represent Saint Lucia on the international stage. This will also open up the possibility of sport scholarship for higher education abroad. I will be looking closely to see how the powers that be achieves this. They obviously need people with imagination, people with a broad world view who understands those cultural nuances.
Well said!
Will some of the useless Jack stop the killing and reflect of her historic achievement
c-wiz bring your imagination from the clouds to life
Lets hope the Govermen of the day listens to your comments and do exactly what you suggested
Its a bit too ewarly to tap on her success , please do waite a while and you will see what happen.
Thanks.
Yes, lure lots more unsuspecting mugs, sorry tourists, to the island rotten with greed. Where they will no doubt enjoy getting ripped off on a daily basis, and the phrase ‘gimme dollar’ burned into their minds by the time they escape.
I am also hoping these pathetic selfish politicians don’t do the regular stupid things to damage this girl reign of supreme. The ministry of sport was always a white elephant and it’s obvious they going to cling to this. Look SLHTA now want to mold her into becoming a touristic icon. Sammy and Charles have fade in the moon light so far and it is evident realistically. I do hope above and beyond this girl continue her trend of success and earn more medals in the future. Above all fix the effing roads so when. Tourist comes they don’t see our highways are similar to off-road tracks. All these are the components to a tourist destination.
Saint Lucia has more work to do first, repairing the infrastructure of Saint-Lucia and providing more for the children in schools. Do more for the kids? since as you can see they are the future. It will pay off in the long run and stop procrastinating and stop the embezzlement with avaracious politicians Whose job usually is to take the country to the cleaners, when you’ll come into position that keeps throwing the country backwards this country should be more progressive by now. Police the country properly to keep the public safe and not rudimentally,nor to drop off your beehives.
I hope they include a trip to the hospidium that’s been the home if our athletes for the last 15 years. While they’re at it, give an explanation for this situation.
Julien Alfred faced several challenges in the 200m finals at the 2024 Olympics:
Lane Assignment: She was assigned lane 8, which can be a disadvantage as it limits the runner’s ability to see competitors during the race.
Schedule: Alfred had a demanding schedule, running for five consecutive days before the 200m finals. This likely impacted her stamina and recovery.
Despite these hurdles, Alfred’s performance was impressive, securing a silver medal in a highly competitive field3. Her resilience and talent are truly commendable.