NEW YORK – George deMercado, senior executive of Air Jamaica, the Caribbean carrier, congratulated St. Lucia’s new director of tourism, Maria Fowell this week.
“We offer the new director heartiest congratulations and we look forward to strengthening our relationship with St. Lucia and working closely with Mrs. Fowell in her new capacity,” said Mr. deMercado.
Thanking Hilary Modeste, her predecessor, who has stepped down after nine years, for his outstanding service to his nation, deMercado added, “St. Lucia is a special destination for us at Air Jamaica, and together with the St. Lucia Tourist Board, the Ministry of Tourism and all of our travel and tourism stakeholders, we look forward to growing the market and boosting revenues beyond what has already been an encouraging summer season,” he said.
Fowell, who served as deputy director of the St Lucia Tourist Board before taking up an appointment as permanent secretary in the Ministry of Tourism, said “I am very pleased to have taken up this position. It’s a new personal challenge as there is great potential in tourism for St. Lucia … so I am looking forward to working with all of our partners, on island and overseas, to maximize that potential.”
A graduate of the University of the West Indies and the University of Leicester, Fowell said St. Lucia has a good working relationship with Air Jamaica which she would like to see continue. “There are more opportunities to promote the destination jointly and I would like to continue doing that,” she added.
In a statement welcoming the new director, Minister of Tourism Philip J. Pierre expressed confidence in Mrs. Fowell’s ability to lead the Board into a new and innovative era. She has indicated that her first order of business is a review and assessment of the St. Lucia Tourist Board and to that end is in the process of meeting with its staff members.
