Nearly 70 stakeholders gathered at the Union Orchid Gardens on September 4 for the Babonneau Community Tourism Forum, held under the theme, “Babonneau – The Green Land of Good Water: Celebrating Our Heritage, Preserving Our Environment, Building A Sustainable Tourism Future.”
The forum forms part of the Community Business Revitalization Project (CBRP), a bilateral initiative between the governments of Saint Lucia and Taiwan, implemented through the Ministry of Commerce and the Taiwan Technical Mission. Minister in the Ministry of Tourism and Parliamentary Representative for Babonneau, Hon. John Paul Estephane, said the community possesses natural and cultural assets capable of supporting a distinctive tourism product.
“When we look across Babonneau, at our lush landscapes, rivers, waterways, forests, agricultural traditions, communities, culture, and above all, our people, we recognize that we possess something really special,” Estephane said.
His central message was that residents should become owners and beneficiaries of tourism rather than spectators. “When visitors leave, I want a greater share of the tourism dollar to remain in Babonneau. That is how tourism becomes community development.” Estephane stressed, however, that economic development must be balanced with environmental preservation.
“We cannot build a tourism industry by destroying the very environment that visitors come to experience,” he said.
Taiwan’s Ambassador to Saint Lucia, H.E. Nicole Su, said experience from community tourism projects elsewhere has demonstrated that there is no single model that works for every community.
“No one knows your community better than you, the people who are living there,” Ambassador Su said.
The CBRP has already supported initiatives in Fond St. Jacques and Laborie. In Fond St. Jacques, the project helped develop eco-tourism activities including nature trails and birdwatching, established an interpretation centre and supported efforts to promote dasheen as a tourism product through the annual Dasheen Festival.
In Laborie, initiatives included community branding, support for local craftspeople, refurbishment of a souvenir shop and restoration of the Iconic Center.
Since expanding into Babonneau in 2025, the project has facilitated discussions on potential tourism products and supported folk dance and music workshops celebrating Creole heritage. The Babonneau Cultural Ambassadors have also been established.
Ambassador Su said the community has an opportunity to use its culture and traditions to offer visitors a deeper understanding of Saint Lucia. “Babonneau can be the real storytellers and the guardians of the past, present, and future,” she said.
Community Tourism Agency Business Development Officer Emmanus Alfred said visitors increasingly want authentic experiences within communities.
“Visitors want to go into the communities, so we must provide things for them to do when they get here,” he said.
The forum also brought together government, tourism, agriculture, private-sector and community representatives to discuss a sustainable tourism model for Babonneau.
The objective is ultimately to convert Babonneau’s natural and cultural assets into viable tourism experiences while ensuring that more visitor spending translates into income, entrepreneurship and economic opportunities for the people who live there.