• by Larissa Faw , September 11, 2017

The Saint Lucia Tourist Board is appointing Translation as its new agency of record to help the Caribbean island move beyond blue skies and beach-centric advertising.

The agency will develop a fresh brand story and marketing communications strategy that highlights Saint Lucia's "unique natural assets and national identity." The island, which is located in the south eastern Caribbean, did not suffer serious damage from Hurricane Irma.

Translation will also work to link tourism efforts to key economic growth sectors, such as real estate, village-tourism and agriculture.

The agency’s first creative efforts will debut in late 2017 or early 2018.

This partnership follows the election of Saint Lucia Prime Minister Allen Chastanet, who took office in June 2016. Chastanet, who was previously the nation’s minister of tourism, is seeking to boost the island’s tourism industry, in part to provide more opportunity for citizens to participate in the sector.

According to the Caribbean Tourism Organization, tourist visits to the Caribbean increased by 4.2% in 2016, and cruise passenger arrivals grew by an estimated 1.3%.  The area attracted 29.3 million visitors in 2016.