The Saint Lucia government recently acknowledged the 50-year contribution of the Barnard family to the growth of the hospitality sector.

The Government of Saint Lucia has paid tribute to a local family for its contribution to the development of Saint Lucia’s tourism industry.

On Aug. 16, government officials led by Prime Minister Hon. Allen Chastanet, and the Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister with responsibility for Tourism, Hon. Dominic Fedee, gathered at the official residence of the Prime Minister, along with representatives from the  Saint Lucia Hotel and Tourism Association (SLHTA) and the Saint Lucia Tourist Board (SLTB), to recognize the contribution of the Barnard family to the growth of the hospitality sector over the past 50 years.

“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.” Minister Fedee said. “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.”

Prime Minister Allen Chastanet presented a commemorative plaque to hotelier Andrew Barnard, and expressed government’s appreciation for the Barnard family’s contribution to the tourism sector, and made mention of 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 along Vigie beach, near the George F.L Charles Airport in 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.

Sourced from Access Government http://opm.govt.lc/news/government-honors-local-family