Tourism is the backbone of Saint Lucia’s economy, and the island’s government has taken a novel step to ensure every dollar spent by visitors reaches every corner of the country.

The agency tasked with making this vision a reality is the Community Tourism Agency (CTA), which was established three years ago with the mandate to provide local communities with opportunities for income generation and sustainable employment.

Led by CEO Dahlia Guard, a veteran in the tourism sector, the agency is moving full steam ahead with changing lives and communities.

In an interview with Caribbean Pulse, Guard beamed with pride as she spoke about the work her small team of 15 staff has accomplished in a short time.

“The agency is creating real opportunities for St Lucians to not just participate in terms of working at hotels, but it’s allowing them to actually own,” she said.

Guard explained that many St Lucians have strong business ideas but face barriers, particularly in accessing financing and navigating bureaucracy.

“They have ideas, but the funding and financing is difficult for them,” she said.

To address this, the agency provides funding of up to EC$300,000, combining loans and grants with interest rates between one per cent and four per cent.

Guard explained that the level of support depends on the type of tourism experience being developed. Projects that centre on immersive, community-based experiences — such as tours or cultural activities — can qualify for a blended financing model.

“If you have an ATV experience, two-thirds of that will be the loan and there’s a third grant,” she said, noting that a EC$300,000 project, for example, could see EC$200,000 issued as a loan and EC$100,000 as a government grant.

Other business types may receive financing primarily through loans, but still benefit from the agency’s low interest rates and concessions.

The agency does not operate in a silo, as it partners with the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority (SLTA) to help bring products to the forefront — not just selling Saint Lucia as a destination, but highlighting unique local experiences.

“We’ve been working with them in marketing the projects. And we had celebrities like Chloe Bailey and Lance Gross go out in the communities and actually experience that authenticity. They put it on their social media and they do give our products some visibility.”

Beyond financing, the agency provides hands-on support throughout the entire process.

“If you have an idea and you need help with your business planning, product development, or operational support, we provide all of those support services,” Guard said.

“It’s a case where we are holding the hand of the entrepreneur and walking them through the process.”

Interested applicants can begin by submitting an online application, after which they are guided by a business development officer.

From there, the agency works with applicants to refine their ideas and develop business plans before projects are reviewed by an internal committee.

“We ensure that the project is authentically Saint Lucia,” Guard said. “It needs to reflect some level of Saint Lucian-ness.”

Projects must also demonstrate community linkages and the ability to create employment opportunities.

Once approved, applications are forwarded to the Saint Lucia Development Bank for financial assessment before funding is disbursed.

Participants are also required to undergo formal training before launching their businesses. The programme includes a six-week training course delivered in partnership with Sir Arthur Lewis Community College.

The training covers both theoretical and practical components, including customer service, housekeeping standards and the use of environmentally safe products.

Upon completion, participants receive a hospitality certificate from the college, with credits that can be applied toward further studies.

Guard stressed that the programme is designed to create opportunities for those who may struggle to access traditional financing.

“There are opportunities for young people, for women, for persons who under normal circumstances are not able to get that level playing ground,” she said.

She pointed to a recent example of a young entrepreneur, Amy Stephen, whose business Pelican Tours was supported by the agency after financial constraints initially held her back.

Since its establishment, the agency has engaged between 300 and 500 individuals, with approximately 90 currently active clients.

Roughly 30 loans and grants have already been issued.

She noted that the agency is not only helping individuals but also driving wider economic activity within communities.

“This is the type of multiplier effect that we’re looking to accomplish in all of the communities,” she said, pointing to projects that involve farmers, artisans and cultural groups.

As part of its next phase, the agency is preparing to launch an e-commerce platform that will allow visitors to book community-based experiences directly.

“It allows you to create your entire itinerary and make your payments,” Guard said.

“We believe that it’s one thing to help the clients to create the products and the experiences to be in the market but we also need equally to ensure that we develop a sales strategy to convert to sales and so we believe that e-commerce platform is one of the tools that is needed to ensure that persons are able to come and purchase and persons are able to come to this one place to find everything that they need as it pertains to community tourism.”

Guard encouraged all St Lucians with new ideas to engage the agency to take their business from an idea to reality.