By Kingsley Emanuel,VP Digital
Copyright thevoiceslu
Despite the slow tourist season, Soufriere taxi operators are still doing fairly well, which is a sign of a prosperous future for taxi operators in the community.
That’s according to the president of the Soufriere Tourist Association (STA), Cletus Didier, who foresees Soufriere gaining immensely from the industry in the future.
“Although we are in the slow season, things are still flowing in Soufriere. It is not usual for us to experience this during the slow season. We have been experiencing this from last year,” Didier said.
He added that they are still lots of tourists visiting the Sulphur Springs, which is of benefit to taxi operators in Soufriere.
Didier said with the upgrading of the Soufriere waterfront by Global Ports Holding (GPH), Soufriere stands to benefit even more in the future.
The upgrading of the Soufriere waterfront by GPH is part of a larger development agreement signed in August 2023 with the Government of St Lucia, which will involved upgraded waterfront facilities, new docking infrastructure for larger cruise ships, and expanded opportunities for local entrepreneurs and vendors.
According to Didier, due to their expectations, the STA is busy preparing for the high tourist season, which he expects to be a bumper one.
“We did not manage ourselves too well last year, so this year, we will be doing better,” he said.
Didier said their expectations are so high that they have asked the Soufriere Regional Development Foundation (SRDF) to provide them with a desk at the piers to assist them in conducting their business.
“We need this, so we can manage our business properly,” Didier said.
According to him, one of the things which they are doing to prepare for the high tourist season, is to ensure they have a proper price structure, where taxi operators do not vary their prices for a particular trip.
“Right now, we need a proper price structure. Some taxi operators charge prices which are too high,” he said.
Didier said the tourists appreciate the service they are providing to them, and are speaking about it in glowing terms.
“The tourists appreciate our hospitality. I have yet to come across a visitor who has said something negative about us,” Didier said.
“We know Soufriere is very important to the tourist industry,” he added.
