OECS tourism ministers to meet in St Lucia
Published:Monday | July 13, 2009 | 10:27 AM
Tourism ministers from the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) are to meet in St Lucia on Wednesday with the high cost of travel on the regional airline, LIAT, among the main agenda items.
The ministers’ meeting will follow the eighth meeting of the Committee of Ministers responsible for Civil Aviation and their technical officials today.
The latest criticism of the airfare structure of the Antigua-based airline has come from the St. Lucia Tourism Minister, Allen Chastanet.
He says Castries is seeking an investigation into LIAT’s fares due to the impact of the high cost on intra-regional travel.
Chastanet blamed the airline’s fare structure and the loss of competition on the various routes for an estimated 50,000 not visiting the island over a two year period.
The ministers are also slated to discuss plans for the resuscitation of the civil aviation industry through the revitalisation of the small airline sector.
The OECS groups the islands of Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Montserrat, St.Kitts-Nevis, Anguilla and the British Virgin Islands.