St. Lucia Offers New Accommodation Choices, Additional Direct FLights and Cultural Events this Fall

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. October 14, 2008

ST. LUCIA, West Indies, September 12, 2005. St. Lucia's tourism product continues to expand with new hotel openings this fall including five-star luxury resorts, additional direct air service and cultural events. In 2005, St. Lucia's tourist arrivals increased by 11% over 2004, demonstrating its steady growth as a popular Caribbean destination offering something for every type of traveler.

Airlift

Delta Airlines announced new daily non-stop flights to St. Lucia from Atlanta starting December 1, 2005, increasing from five times a week. US Airways began non-stop Saturday service from Charlotte, North Carolina on February 12, 2005. This is in addition to the airline's non-stop weekend service from Philadelphia. Additional St. Lucia service from North America includes daily direct routes from Miami on American Airlines, BWIA connecting weekly flights from Miami and New York, and American Eagle daily flights from San Juan.

Hotel Openings

Coco Palm opened July 2005 and is the second property of the newly formed Coco Resorts located in the heart of lively Rodney Bay Village. Coco Palm features 83 guestrooms --12 of which are suites -- and is the first boutique style hotel to open on the island. Rates start at just $125 a night, allowing travelers on a budget to spend less on a hotel and more on discovering St. Lucia's culture, cuisine and many diversions. This Caribbean chic hotel includes meeting facilities; Wi-Fi throughout; two restaurants, Ti Bananne Caribbean Bistro and Bar and Kafe Kaiso (open 24/7 with live entertainment); a large free form swimming pool and a poolside bar. For more information log on to www.coco-resorts.com

Coconut Bay Resort & Spa opened in the spring of 2005 after a $15 million dollar renovation to the former Club Med site. Located on the southern shore of the island, this all-inclusive resort features a full-service spa; three restaurants and bars; 254 guestrooms all with ocean views with a separate sitting area and private balcony. The resort houses three swimming pools and a water park featuring a lazy river, waterfalls and exhilarating waterslides. For more information, log on to www.coconutbayresortandspa.com.

Anse Chastanet Resort introduces 24 exclusive Infinity Suites, scheduled to open in the winter of 2005/06. The luxury Infinity Suites will act as a "resort within a resort" with their own reception area, concierge services and the Jade Mountain Club restaurant. Located on the highest point on Anse Chastanet hill, every suite will include a bedroom, living area and a personal infinity pool. Built to be in harmony with nature, the rooms have only three walls to allow for an unobstructed view of the Piton Mountains and Caribbean Sea. For more information, visit www.ansechastanet.com.

Sunswept Resort's Plantation on Cotton Bay is scheduled to open in November 2005, and will be the first five-star luxury villa resort in St. Lucia. It promises guests total luxury and pampering, combining barefoot elegance with designer styling, gourmet food and first-class golf just steps away. The 74 spacious accommodations range from one-bedroom suites to four-bedroom villas with guest cottage. For more information, visit www.sunsweptresorts.com.

St. James' Club St. Lucia was recently acquired by Almond Resorts and closed for expansion and renovation on June 1, 2005 and will reopen as Almond Morgan Bay Beach Resort on November 15, 2005. The resort is set on 22 scenic acres just north of St. Lucia's capital, Castries, and will offer guests an ideal all-inclusive family vacation. The renovated property will include, six swimming pools, a fitness centre; four a la carte gourmet restaurants; four bars; a Kid's Club that for newborn babies and children up to the age of 16 years of age; a full service spa with treatments including massages, facials, manicures and hydrotherapy treatments. For more information, please visit www.almondresorts.com.

The five-star Discovery at Marigot Bay Spa Resort and Marina in Marigot Bay is scheduled to be completed in the winter of 2006. The property is managed by Sonesta International Hotels and will comprise 57 one-, two- and three-bedroom luxury units. In addition, the property will feature restaurants and lounges; Lapli Spa; a Zen garden; fitness center; a 60-berth marina; and a marina village with shops, cafes and yachting facilities. For more information, please visit www.marigotbay.com.

Future Property Openings

DCG Properties Ltd. broke ground on Le Paradis in August 2005, a new luxury condominium and real estate development on St. Lucia's undeveloped East coast in Praslin Bay. The 554-acre multi-use resort will include an international four-star plus branded hotel with 232 rooms and conference facilities for up to 600 persons; more than 100 luxury condominiums and deluxe residences; international health spa; Greg Norman signature 18-hole golf course managed by internationally recognized Troon Golf; and many other leisure activities. These components are scheduled to be operational by March 2007.

Calabash Cove Inn & Sanctuary, a five-star boutique resort with ocean-view villas, is slated to open in the fall of 2006. The property will be located just 10 minutes from Rodney Bay, a popular marina filled with great shops, restaurants, bars and nightlife. Calabash Cove will offer 23 luxury mahogany and teak villas featuring air-conditioned bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms; an outdoor shower; cable TV; DVD player; kitchenette; a spacious living room; an oversized patio with hammock; plunge pools and adjoining balcony. The hotel facilities will include a concierge desk, a piano bar, an ocean view restaurant, library, music room, boutique, private beach, outdoor pool and spa. For more information, please visit www.calabashcove.com.

Bay Gardens Ltd., owner of the award-winning Bay Gardens Hotel, and its sister property Bay Gardens Inn, will embark on the new Bay Gardens Beach Resort & Spa on famous Reduit Beach. The first phase of construction on the Caribbean-French and Georgian plantation-style four-story buildings, are scheduled for completion by November 2006. The new property will consist of 80 deluxe rooms; 40 one- and two-bedroom suites; restaurant; beach bar; lobby bar; lagoon-style pool with swim-up bar; executive floor with lounge; spa and Jacuzzi. Rooms will be equipped with flat screen TVs, high-speed Internet access and wireless connection throughout public areas. The second phase will feature 40 one-, two-, and three-bedroom condominiums for sale adjacent to the hotel, with commencement in early 2006. For more information, visit www.baygardenshotel.com.

The St. Lucia-based SunSwept Resorts acquired the Jalousie Resort & Spa from Hilton International effective May 31, 2005 and is now named The Jalousie Plantation. The property is located along the Caribbean coastline and set between the beautiful Piton Mountains. Surrounded by beaches of white sand, the property includes 65 villas, 35 villa suites and 12 additional guest rooms. Renovations to the existing villas and guestrooms are being planned and a center of well-being will be created after the completion of the renovations in 2007. For more information, visit www.sunsweptresorts.com.

The Landing, a $165 million villa resort development project on the north shore of Rodney Bay St. Lucia, will break ground in November 2005 with the first phase slated to open February 2007. The 19-acre waterfront SunSwept Resorts property will include yacht moorings and slips; a beach club; water sports; lounge; helicopter transfer to/from major airports and nearby islands; a restaurant; fitness club; spa; concierge service; swimming pools; tennis courts; reception area; and 500 rooms in 228 one-, two- and three-bedroom villa units. For more information, visit www.sunsweptresorts.com.

Sandals Resorts International announced plans to expand the company's family-themed Beaches Resorts brand to St. Lucia. This $80 million resort will be the first Beaches in the Eastern Caribbean and the fourth Sandals-owned resort on St. Lucia. Located on picturesque Pigeon Island next to the causeway, the new resort will feature 300 rooms and suites with ultra all-inclusive amenities. For more information about Beaches Resorts, visit www.beaches.com.

Events

The first-ever KALALU World Music Festival finds a home in St. Lucia December 1-4, 2005, taking place at Samaans Park, in Choc Bay located in the north of the island. Headlining the festival is trumpeter and pioneer of South African Jazz, Hugh Masekela; additional performers include, Senegalese vocalist and percussionist Idrissa Diop; Haitian singer and songwriter Emeline Michel; Sensaci'on Orchestra from Cuba; Soukous Stars from the Congo; Puerto Rican vocalist Jose Alberto; Grammy-nominated Latin-funk collective Yerba Buena; singer Sekouba Bambino from Guinea; and Bluemang'o and Ronald "Boo" Hinkson from St. Lucia. World music is a growing genre with international appeal and The St. Lucia Tourist Board is proud to support this new musical endeavor.

October is Creole Heritage Month celebrating African, French, Caribbean/Arawak and English cultures that came together to form St. Lucia's unique Creole (Kw'ey`ol) culture. Throughout October, many villages host festivities celebrating their unique character. St. Lucians and visitors take part in activities including Creole food fairs, dancing lessons and demonstrations and historic walking tours. International Creole Day, October 31st, is the last Sunday in October and is the grand finale of Creole Heritage Month. Activities on this day include Mass in Creole; a fair of traditional and indigenous food and dishes; crafts and games; traditional dances; demonstrations of customs; and Creole entertainment at its best.

St. Lucia Jazz 2006 is scheduled for May 5th -14th. Since its establishment in 1992, St. Lucia Jazz has grown in magnitude and stature to become one of the preeminent Jazz festivals in the world. St. Lucia Jazz features multiple shows daily, including acoustical, new age and straight-ahead jazz, soul, fusion and R&B. Unique to St. Lucia Jazz are the festival's "fringe" events, which are held in a variety of locations and venues around the island. For more information about St. Lucia Jazz, please visit http://www.stluciajazz.org.

Atlantic Rally for Cruisers celebrates its 20th Anniversary in St. Lucia this coming December. Over the last 20 years, thousands of cruising enthusiasts have enjoyed crossing the Atlantic Ocean with the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers and this year the ARC will start from Las Palmas de Gran Canaria on November 20th and it will officially end on December 17th. Twenty-one nations running the 2700 nautical mile race will be represented in the 2005 ARC fleets, making it not only the largest transoceanic event in the world, but also the most diverse. The St. Lucia Tourist Board has organized several events in Rodney Bay, the island's main yachting center located in the northern area, for the visiting yachting crews, some of which are public and allow for rubbing shoulders and swapping sea stories with the participants. For more information, please visit www.worldcruising.com or visit www.stlucia.org.