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2018 Annual Economic and Financial Review
SAINT LUCIA
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96
Eastern Caribbean Central Bank
tourism industry, is estimated to have
increased by 4.3 per cent in 2018, compared
with growth of 10.3 per cent recorded in the
previous year. The sector’s contribution to
GDP grew marginally to 10.7 per cent from
10.3 per cent in 2017. This performance was
the result of strengthened activity in both sub-
sectors. The improved performance also
reflected growth in the total number of
visitors, which increased by 10.2 per cent to
1,228,718, primarily attributable to growth in
the cruise ship sub-category. The number of
cruise ship passengers grew by 13.6 per cent
to 760,306, slightly lower than the rate of
13.9 per cent recorded last year. The
expansion in the number of cruise passengers
largely reflected an increase in the capacity of
the vessels visiting the island.
Stay-over arrivals increased by 2.2 per cent to
394,780, a deceleration when compared with
growth of 11.0 per cent in 2017. The
performance in the stay-over sub-category
was attributable to growth in the number of
visitors from all major source markets, except
Canada. Visitor arrivals from the USA, the
largest market as it accounted for
approximately 44.3 per cent of total stay-over
arrivals, grew by 4.1 per cent compared with
an increase of 6.8 per cent in 2017. Europe,
the second largest source market, posted
growth of 3.8 per cent to 95,988 mainly the
result of an increase in arrivals from the UK
(4.9 per cent) and France (17.3 per cent). The
number of stay-over visitors from the
Caribbean, the third major market, grew by
1.6 per cent, compared with growth of
13.6 per cent recorded in 2017. Stay-over
arrivals from Canada, on the contrary, fell by
5.6 per cent to 40,213. The performance of
the Canadian market was in stark contrast to
an increase of 12.7 per cent recorded in the
prior year. Of the other categories of visitors,
the number of yacht arrivals and excursionist
grew by 26.7 per cent and 8.9 per cent,
respectively.
Manufacturing activity is estimated to have
picked up pace as the sector persisted on its
growth trajectory. Value added in that sector
rose by 6.0 per cent in 2018, compared with a