Saint Lucia’s tourism sector is poised to undergo significant expansion.

Due to several major hotel projects, the island’s tourism room stock is to increase by 2000 rooms over the next four years, thereby creating more variety in the accommodation offerings.

Already for this year, the Royalton Saint Lucia Resort and Spa opened its doors with 455 rooms in two hotels—one catering to families and the other, adults only. Serenity Villas at Coconut Bay Resort unveiled 36 luxury villas, and the Harbour Club will open in September with 117 rooms.

Work will begin on the Fairmont Saint Lucia Resort in Sabwisha, Choiseul in September. The resort will be a unique space that integrates local nature, a low-rise building complex and a wide range of recreational facilities. The hotel will include 120-five-star hotel rooms, 37 villas, three restaurants, a spa, commercial areas for local producers and traders and three swimming pools. A special central place within the development will be dedicated for local tradition with several of shops for carvings and paintings.

The Reduit beach will be redeveloped and will become the home of a luxury five-star dual-branded hotel called Curio by Hilton. This property will be built where the Rex Resorts was previously located. The Curio by Hilton will feature 500 luxury rooms; 350 rooms assigned to the Hilton and 150 assigned to the Curio by Hilton. Work on this property will begin within the last quarter of 2017.

Work should commence on the Honeymoon Bay Resort in Cannelles, Vieux Fort, very soon. This resort will consist of two hotels—the first is a 250 room 5-star luxury, family all-inclusive hotel, and the second is an 80 room, 5-star luxury hotel. This resort will feature an 18-hole golf course, clubhouse, and a museum.

The Range Developments signed an agreement with the Government of Saint Lucia to acquire the Black Bay lands and develop Black Bay into an integrated master-planned luxury touristic community. The Black Bay Master Development will consist of a luxury branded hotel and villas, with other amenities set on 180 acres on the southern tip of the island. The hotel is expected to have 180 rooms and will be the central anchor of the Black Bay Master Development. Initial site works are expected to commence in the fourth of quarter of 2017, or the first quarter of 2018, and the hotel is expected to be complete by the end of 2020.

Sandals Resorts International has confirmed plans to add a fourth resort on Saint Lucia. The property will offer 350 rooms and suites inclusive of the exotic Sky Pool Butler Suites, all-butler signature swim-up Rondoval Suites, and an infinity-edge sky pool bar. Groundbreaking for the project is set to begin in 2018.

In addition to hotel developments, the island will create and capitalize on the concept of village tourism. Eight fishing villages will be transformed into unique tourism villages based on their attributes and strengths. These villages will be uniquely themed, and development plans will be established in a participatory manner which address the villages’ infrastructure, culinary assets, architecture and capacity.

For more information about the island of Saint Lucia, call 1-800-456-3984, 1-888 4STLUCIA or visit http://stlucia.org/.