On Island

• Aqua Action 1988
• OCOD
• St. Lucia Small Business and Industrial Association (SLISBA)
• Trinidad and Tobago Manufacturers' Associatiion (TTMA
• United Nations Development Programme(UNDP)
  

TESTIMONIALS

To The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Trade, St.Lucia, June 4, 1991.

Let me take this opportunity of thanking your Ministry for affording support to our members who attended EXPO '91 in Antigua. Particular recommendation must go to one of your officers namely Mr. David Jordan, who was not only supportive to members during the exhibition, but encouraged other non-members to attend a "Salesmanship and Exhibit Design" Seminar hosted by SLISBA prior to the exhibition.
Dr. Urban Seraphin, Executive Director


Mr. David Jordan,
On behalf of the Exports Committee of the Trinidad and Tobago Manufacturers Association and the participants of the Trade Mission, we wish to thank you for extending your support to the Mission during the period June 9-11, 1999.
Anthony Guiseppi,
General Manager,
Trinidad & Tobago Manufacturers Association

The Publisher (Aqua Action '88)
would like to extend a special thank you to ...; David Jordan of the St. Lucia Tourist Board for his unwavering enthusiasm and help..
Tropical Promotions & Marketing Limited

The below article was provided by kind courtesy of Mr. David Bailey, Rodney Bay Limited and Mr. David Jordan, St. Lucia Tourist Board. Aqua Action '88
Tourism is booming in St. Lucia - in fact, the number of tourists is anticipated to increase to such an extent that in two years time the island will attain annual tourist arrivals of well over a quarter of million per year.

This increase is having a dramatic effect on the development of the island and the north-west in particular. Here, there is more land available for development than elsewhere in St. Lucia. Moreover, the area has existing facilities and services to cater for the expansion required to service the influx of tourists.

Most of this activity is taking place on the land area around Rodney Bay, the majority of which is owned and developed by Rodney Bay Limited. Rodney Bay is located seven miles from Castries, the island's capital, in the north western part of St. Lucia, which was once an area of military activity.

The bay itself is found near Pigeon island, the point from which Admiral Rodney set sail in 1782 to the bloody and decisive battle of Les Saintes. It was at that battle that the French naval power was shattered and the British naval supremacy was established in the Caribbean.

Today sleek yachts have replaced gun-boats and competition for a hegemony, which has been reduced to friendly racing between vacationing yachts.

Pigeon island, once Admiral Rodney's headquarters, is leased to the St. Lucia National Trust which maintains it as a historic monument.

The lands behind the beaches of Rodney Bay were largely swampy marshlands prior to the 1970's. It was not until 1970 that Rodney Bay Limited was established jointly by the St. Lucian Government, the Commonwealth Development Corporation and St. Lucia Marine Enterprises Limited. The lands were dredged and a causeway constructed, linking Pigeon island to the mainland.

The construction of The Causeway transformed Rodney Bay into a sheltered horse shoe shaped bay, with calm and luscious Caribbean waters.

The lagoon off the bay now contains a modern marina which accommodates yachts from all over the world with up-to-date facilities, including 140 fully serviced concrete docks, a full service yard and customs, and shopping services.

The transformation which has taken place has created a demand for housing lots around the lagoon. Rodney Bay Limited is now providing waterfront and other housing lots to satisfy this demand.

The Causeway created 70 acres of beachfront for hotels and tourist oriented service facilities and another 80 acres of hinterland, which is zoned for residential and tourist development.

To date, over a third of Rodney Bay's original acreage has been developed initially mainly for residential use. Now, hotels and restaurants are attracting locals and tourists alike to the area in large numbers.

To cater for this influx more residential lots are being made available for sale and development of the Causeway is expected soon.

Negotiations are being held with international developers and hoteliers on the construction of hotels on The Causeway and it is anticipated that a 350 bed hotel will be constructed. Further hotel and tourist developments are to be pursued rapidly.

With the development of Rodney Bays residential areas and hotel lands, it is estimated that the population in the area will soon be over 4000 people, and its hotels will add another 1500 rooms to those presently available in St. Lucia.

Rodney Bay will therefore become a leisure and yachting centre not just for St. Lucia but also for the Caribbean.

Aqua Action is one major 'off season' promotional feature which enlivens the bay during the Whitsun-tide weekend every year.

The decor of colourful sights of the string clad beauties who line the beach; their jubilant cries of victory; their loud groans of defeat; the shouts of playful children; the free flow of inebriating spirits are all part of the invasion that make Aqua Action such a gala affair and an attractive centre piece to our special summer holiday programme. It is really an incensed co-mingle of locals and tourists in aquatic and non-aquatic activities at which the whole family would be enraptured with the SUN the FUN and the FROLIC.