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Agnes Francis (left) and Tourism Minister Dominic Fedee
(SNO) – Agnes Francis, chairperson of the St. Lucia Tourism Authority (SLTA), last week resigned from the position. But is there a move on the part of government to hold on to her, following what many have claimed was a very successful stint since taking over the country’s premier tourism marketing agency in November 2016?
Senior Communications Officer in the Office of the Prime Minister, Nicole McDonald, earlier today (August 6, 2018), may have hinted at that when she told reporters that Francis continues to have the respect and confidence of the government.
McDonald spoke fondly of Francis, especially of her role in transitioning the St. Lucia Tourist Board into the St. Lucia Tourism Authority, a role McDonald described as “excellent”.
“It has not been an easy task because you do remember the type of things and the concerns that we uncovered at the St. Lucia Tourist Board when we first came into government. There were significant excesses. There were some pointed things, in terms of the St. Lucia Jazz Festival and how the Tourist Board was spending some of the money allocated to them,” McDonald told reporters.
Explaining that the government had transition the Tourist Board to focus specifically on its core function, which is the marketing of the country and less on engaging in events that somewhat sidetracked it in the past, McDonald said that Francis was able to achieve that focus with the new entity.
“A new Board (of the Tourism Authority) is expected to be appointed soon. I would think the Board would be able to speak of the direction going forward. We (government) are very proud of the work Francis has done and I am sure she will continue to work with the government in other capacities going forward,” McDonald said.
The senior communications officer added that Francis’ resignation does not necessarily mean that she would not contribute in some way to the Tourism Authority — after all she helped to craft it.
“I would anticipate that Ms. Francis would be assisting the new Board, the new chairperson, in terms of going forward,” McDonald said, adding that she hoped Francis would continue to work with the Authority.
Francis’ letter of resignation, copied to Minister Dominic Fedee, who is responsible for tourism in the Office of the Prime Minister, and Tiffany Howard, the SLTA’s chief marketing officer, stated that “as of July 31, 2018 the transition from the St. Lucia Tourist Board to the St. Lucia Tourism Authority has been completed with the appointment of a new Board of Directors, the composition of which you will be advised of under separate cover”.
She further stated in her resignation letter that “my work has therefore come to an end, so effective 1st August 2018 Tiffany Howard will now be your primary contact at the St. Lucia Tourism Authority”.
“Our association has truly been a productive and positive one and I wish to thank you for this and your contribution towards bringing the vision of the SLTA to reality,” Francis noted in her resignation letter to Minister Fedee and Howard.
She ended her resignation letter by wishing both individuals continued success personally and professionally and stating that they all will continue to be in communication.
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