A group of travel agents from North America and the United Kingdom visited Saint Lucia last week to experience first-hand the multiple award-winning romance and wedding destination market.

The Saint Lucia Tourist Board (SLTB) invited about 35 travel agents to Saint Lucia to experience the “Romance Familiarization Tour of Saint Lucia 2016.”

The four-day tour (Oct. 6 – 9), included visits to hotels, sites, attractions and amenities that helped establish Saint Lucia’s reputation as a leading romance and wedding destination. The travel agents also met with providers of the services associated with destination weddings from the producers of flowers and floral bouquets to those providing confectionary and wedding cakes, limousine services, horseback riding, wedding carriages and zip lining.

Director of Tourism, Louis Lewis, said the "recession-proof" wedding industry continues to grow, affording Saint Lucia the opportunity to take advantage of the increased number of persons opting for destination weddings.

He added that the familiarization visit deliberately highlighted linkages that are critical to ensuring the tourism dollar filters to every sector of society. The beneficiaries range from musicians and singers who perform at weddings to fashion designers, interior decorators, photographers and farmers.

Linda Bucknam of travLBudi in New Hampshire has commended the Saint Lucia Tourist Board for the familiarization tour.

“If you do not see the product, it’s really hard to sell it,” she explained, adding that the experience of actually visiting a destination empowers travel agents to sell the destination more compellingly.