PRESS RELEASE – The Government of Saint Lucia has paid glowing tribute to one local family for its long and illustrious contribution to the development of Saint Lucia’s tourism industry.
On Tuesday August 16th, 2016, Government officials, led by Prime Minister Allen Chastanet, the Minister for Tourism, Dominic Fedee, along with other senior officials representing key institutions in the tourism industry, notably the Saint Lucia Hotel and Tourism Association (SLHTA) and the Saint Lucia Tourist Board (SLTB), got together at the official residence of the Prime Minister, to pay homage to and recognize the contribution of the Barnard Family, to the growth of the hospitality sector over the past 50 years.
Describing it as nothing short of visionary and pioneering, Tourism Minister Dominic Fedee heaped praise on the Barnard family for the strides made over the past five decades. “This family, under the Rendezvous brand, has the distinction of being the only hotel proprietors on island to have managed a property for 50 years without changing owners.”
Addressing a gathering comprising other hoteliers, industry partners, family members, friends and well-wishers, Fedee noted, “When you consider the complexities and challenges of the hotel industry just surviving for that length of time is amazing. However when you consider the manner in which the Barnard family achieved this milestone, all the while holding the flag of Saint Lucia high and with distinction, its simply an extraordinary feat.”
In presenting a commemorative plaque to hotelier and business head, Andrew Barnard, Prime Minister Allen Chastanet expressed his government’s and the people of Saint Lucia’s appreciation and gratitude for the Barnard family’s contribution to the tourism sector, highlighting the hundreds who had gained employment over the years and the hotel’s direct economic injection into the local economy over the past five decades.
The 10 acre Rendezvous hotel is located just off the George F.L Charles Airport in the capital Castries. The Barnard family not only owns and manages the award winning Rendezvous hotel, but also the acclaimed Body Holiday property located in the island’s extreme north.
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