New CEO for Saint Lucia Tourism Authority—Lorine Charles-St. Jules

The Board of Directors of the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority has appointed Lorine Charles-St. Jules to the position of Chief Executive Officer (CEO), effective Feb. 1, 2022.

With more than two decades of tourism and leadership experience, Charles-St. Jules has achieved significant success in the hospitality sector and most recently served as USA account manager for the Anguilla Tourist Board. She has been CEO of global marketing agency PEAEYE7 Marketing International for five years, handling business development and luxury resort marketing throughout the Caribbean, the U.S. and Canada. Charles-St. Jules has expertise in setting and executing business strategy across many facets of the tourism industry, including marketing destinations, developing sales programming for luxury resorts and global travel trade management. An award-winning strategic thinker, she is an accomplished sales leader, research consultant for the Organization of American States, public speaker and Adjunct Lecturer at Monroe College in New York and University of New Haven, Connecticut.

The CEO position brings Charles-St. Jules back to her roots in Saint Lucia, where she previously held various executive positions at Saint Lucia Tourist Board for nine years including director of marketing, and tourism planning officer for the Saint Lucia Ministry of Tourism for two years.

“It is with great pleasure that we welcome Mrs. Charles-St. Jules to the organization and we are in no doubt that her track record as a tourism professional will lead brand Saint Lucia along a sustained growth trajectory. Her diverse experience in tourism marketing, sales and strategy will contribute greatly to our mission,” said Thaddeus M. Antoine, chairman of the board of the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority.

“I consider it a distinct honor and a privilege to have been afforded the opportunity to contribute my professional experiences, resources and networks, in joining the esteemed leadership team at the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority. I aim to leverage the valuable expertise, insights and connections attained through my various private and public sector roles in our key tourism source markets, for the benefit of Saint Lucia as a tourism destination and a nation. This appointment brings me an added layer of personal fulfillment as it provides an avenue for me to continue to give back in a significant way to my homeland through our lifeblood industry of tourism,” said Charles-St. Jules, in a press statement.

In bidding farewell to outgoing CEO, Beverly Nicholson-Doty, the SLTA chairman remarked, “We thank Mrs. Nicholson-Doty for her stellar leadership and passion for development demonstrated over the past two and a half years. She led our brand through the most challenging time of the pandemic, of which Saint Lucia was recognized for eight major accolades in various niches. The fruit of her tenure is valued greatly, and now that she has chosen to move on, we wish her the very best in her future endeavours.”

Charles-St. Jules is a graduate of the University of Strathclyde in Scotland, with a master’s degree in International Tourism Development and Sustainability. She also holds a Graduate Certificate in Digital Marketing from Cornell University and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Management and Tourism from the University of the West Indies.

The CEO will be responsible for overall management of the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority, including oversight of the development of the Authority’s marketing and destination services, and general administration. Enacted in August 2017 and serving as a statutory arm of the Government of Saint Lucia, some of the core roles of the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority are to operate as the destination’s lead marketing agency through targeted campaigns internationally to showcase Saint Lucia on a global scale, positioning Saint Lucia in traditional markets as well as emerging markets and new growth opportunities.