HSI Bulletin, February 2021, Vol. 6
SAINT LUCIA CELEBRATES ITS 42ND INDEPENDENCE DAY
22 February, a day where all Saint Lucians will come together to celebrate a nation’s pride. This year, with the theme “A Resilient Nation: We can. We will”, the Prime Minister of Saint Lucia, Honourable Allen Chastanet encouraged all Saint Lucians to stand together and brave through this challenging times. He believes the people of Saint Lucia will overcome any difficulties, just as the country did numerous times through its 42 years of independence.
SAINT LUCIA’S INDEPENDENCE DAY & NATIONAL DAY
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Unbeknownst to many, Saint Lucia have two official holidays to commemorate the country’s independence and national festival celebration, namely, its Independence Day on 22nd February and National Day on 13th December. Saint Lucia declared its independence from British rule on 22 February 1979 and became a member of the British Commonwealth. Henceforth, it is known as Independence Day. As for 13 December, it is to commemorate the anniversary of Columbus’s discovery of the Saint Lucia. In 2019, the Saint Lucia government officially designated the year’s National Day celebration venue to be at the Royal Saint Lucia Turf Club – part of the first phase of developments in Equine Lagoon within the Pearl of the Caribbean nation-building project.
PEARL OF THE CARIBBEAN – THE GAME CHANGING NATION-BUILDING PROJECT
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At US2.6 billion, the Pearl of the Caribbean (POTC) is set to be the largest integrated development in the Caribbean. With the Royal Saint Lucia Turf Club as its first completed phase, the first of many POTC developments in Saint Lucia’s south was celebrated by an inaugural race event in 2019 which coincided with Saint Lucia’s National Day – the country’s first-ever thoroughbred race in history and the richest in the Caribbean region. The event was officially launched by Saint Lucia’s Governor-General and other notable attendees included the cabinet ministers, various industry heavyweights, and VVIPs. More than 6,000 spectators were also present, while over 500,000 viewers watched the inaugural
race event online.
COVID VACCINE ROLLOUT EXPECTING TO HAVE ALMOST IMMEDIATE IMPACT
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Saint Lucia has secured 25,000 doses of the Oxford AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine this week, a volume that can meet the requirements of almost 14 percent of the population almost immediately. Front line workers in Saint Lucia began being vaccinated on 17th February 2021 and the second phase of the nation’s roll out plan commenced on 2nd March 2021. Saint Lucia’s small population will allow for the vaccine to have a clear and distinctly positive impact in an abridged time period. The phased rolling out of coronavirus vaccines is expected to positively impact the country’s economy and to reinstate belief in the tourism industry.
THE PREFERRED DESTINATION FOR SUMMER VACATION
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Saint Lucia has always been the choice location for vacations. It welcomes droves of Europeans and Americans yearly to its beautiful island every summer. The Saint Lucia Tourism Authority recently announced the introduction of new direct flights from Dallas, New York, and New Jersey to Saint Lucia. Voted as the World’s Best Honeymoon Destination for 12 consecutive years, the new flights are expected to bring even more tourists into its island. According to the World Travel & Tourism Council, Saint Lucia’s tourism industry is expected to grow as much as US$416 million by 2028. The construction of the two Citizenship by Investment Programme (CIP) approved Real Estates – the Alpina Saint Lucia Hotel and Alpina Square, both part of the Pearl of the Caribbean integrated development, will cater to the influx of tourists and visitors, and are investments expected to yield high returns.
CURRENT EXCHANGE RATE AS OF 11 FEB 2021
1 USD = 2.7XCD 1 USD = 6.45RMB
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