The Saint Lucia Tourism Authority (SLTA)’s board of directors named veteran Saint Lucia and Caribbean marketer Lorine Charles-St. Jules the agency’s chief executive officer effective February 1.

Charles-St. Jules joins the agency following two decades of Caribbean tourism and leadership experience. Charles-St. Jules most recently served as CEO of global tourism business development and luxury resort marketing firm PEAEYE7 Marketing International. She has previously served as a former U.S. account manager for the Anguilla Tourist Board and director of marketing and tourism planning for Saint Lucia’s Ministry of Tourism.

An award-winning tourism executive, Charles-St. Jules has served as a research consultant for the Organization of American States and as public speaker and adjunct lecturer at New York’s Monroe College and the University of New Haven, Connecticut. She replaces another veteran Caribbean marketer, Beverly Nicholson-Doty, as SLTA’s CEO.

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

“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 [SLTA] Charles-St. Jules said.

“This appointment brings me an added layer of personal fulfillment,” she added, “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.”

Antoine also thanked Nicholson-Doty for her service as SLTA’s CEO since 2019. “We thank Mrs. Nicholson-Doty for her stellar leadership and passion for development demonstrated over the past two and a half years,” he said. “She led our brand through the most challenging time of the pandemic, of which Saint Lucia was recognized for major accolades in various niches.”

Said Antoine, “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 endeavors.”