The Saint Lucia Hospitality and Tourism Association (SLHTA) has confirmed that Erwin Louisy, Managing Director of destination management company Barefoot Holidays DMC, has won an uncontested second term as the organization’s president, set to serve through 2028. The announcement was made during the association’s 62nd Annual General Meeting, which convened Wednesday at Saint Lucia’s Harbor Club, where vice presidential candidate Karolin Troubetzkoy, representing the Anse Chastanet and Jade Mountain resorts, was also re-elected without opposition.
In remarks following her confirmation, Louisy opened by expressing heartfelt gratitude to members of the association, the sitting Board of Directors, industry allies and public sector partners for the continued trust placed in her leadership. Recounting her early career crossroads, she shared that she ultimately chose tourism over paths in arts and fashion, a decision she has never regretted.
Louisy laid out a clear policy agenda for her new term, centered on strengthening SLHTA’s internal operations, elevating the quality of services delivered to member businesses, and securing the organization’s long-term financial and institutional sustainability. Key priorities under her leadership will include identifying and developing new streams of revenue for the association, conducting a comprehensive review of the current membership structure, and expanding the tangible value that membership delivers to stakeholders across Saint Lucia’s tourism sector.
Beyond internal reforms, Louisy emphasized that SLHTA will remain a leading advocacy voice for the Caribbean nation’s tourism private sector. The association will push for deeper cross-sector collaboration between private and public stakeholders, stronger interconnected economic linkages across the tourism ecosystem, and elevated industry-wide service standards. It will also advocate for policy frameworks that boost the sector’s global competitiveness, covering critical areas from expanded international airlift access and accelerated renewable energy adoption to targeted destination marketing, streamlined business regulations and enhanced public safety.
Institutional upgrades to key tourism-aligned public and private entities will also feature on SLHTA’s agenda, Louisy confirmed, including improvements to the Saint Lucia Hyperbaric Chamber and the Tourism Enhancement Fund. “The year ahead will require intentional focus, coordinated collaboration and decisive action to move our sector forward,” Louisy told attendees. “SLHTA must stay rooted as a platform for collective progress and a catalyst for inclusive growth, working to ensure that tourism expansion delivers tangible benefits to our members, local communities and Saint Lucia’s entire national economy.”
This year’s AGM carried the overarching theme “Powering the Growth of Tourism – Utilities: Essential for Saint Lucia’s Future”, hosted by presenting sponsor Liberty Business with additional support from gold sponsor Saint Lucia Electricity Services Limited (LUCELEC) and bronze sponsor the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority (SLTA). The gathering brought together a cross-section of tourism industry stakeholders, senior government representatives and private sector partners to deliberate on the most pressing barriers to sustained growth and competitiveness for Saint Lucia’s core economic sector.
deliberations centered on high-priority infrastructure and utility needs, from long-term water security and resilient energy systems to reliable telecommunications coverage, industry-wide advocacy priorities and broader infrastructure upgrades. Attendees universally emphasized the critical need to build robust, modern systems across these areas to support the pipeline of anticipated tourism development and expansion projects across the island.