Coconut Bay - St. Lucia

4 Business View Magazine goes for $255 per person/per night. Hughes said traffic from numerous strong markets – including the United States, Canada, Europe and the Caribbean, particularly Trinidad & Tobago – goes a long way toward offsetting the typically cyclical nature of the region’s tourism industry. Interest from one side of the resort to the other is split almost evenly, he said. “It’s almost right down the middle,” Hughes said. “We have as many weddings and honeymooners as we have families. We’re just about 50/50.” The 390-person staff is the result of an 80-employee boost over the last two years, in large part due to a corporate initiative to employ residents of the south- ern half of the island, where no other resorts reside. It allows those employees to gain skills and training to begin careers in the hospitality industry, while also helping Hughes cover all the service bases in a resort that boasts 85-percent annual occupancy. “The hotel understands the importance of training in order to maintain a quality product,” he said. “By facilitating internships and organizing job fairs, there is a deliberate strategy to create a pool of per- sons who possess basic entry requirements and are enthusiastic about pursuing careers in the hospital- ity industry. We are proud of our record as the biggest employer in the south of Saint Lucia and will continue to provide opportunities where available to persons who have the professional aptitude and willingness to serve within the industry.”