CASTRIES, St. Lucia, CMC –The Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC) is now set to continue its transatlantic journey to St.Lucia for another five years.
St.Lucia’s Director of Tourism Louis Lewis and Managing Director of World Cruising Club (WCC) Andrew Bishop, on Thursday signed a new contract to ensure St Lucia remains the finish line for the annual cross-Atlantic race. Lewis described the signing as “a very significant event in the tourism annals of Saint Lucia”. “It’s an event that we have benefited from tremendously,” Lewis said. “It’s one where we’ve seen thousands of persons travel to St Lucia on an annual basis during this trans-Atlantic crossing to visit the destination. It’s not just about the people who arrive at the destination but also about people who contribute to the economic activity on the island.” Lewis described the recent hosting of the ARC as successful and said it resulted in major economic spin-offs for the island.
“It’s a truly international event with typically between 25 to 30 different nationalities represented every year and well over 200 boats participating,” said Bishop, WCC Director.
“It’s always encouraging to know that the outreach of the ARC is beyond just Rodney Bay. It’s (reach) does go out into the rest of the country.”
The new agreement runs from 2014 to 2018 and Bishop said continued plans are being made to increase the level of participation in the world’s largest trans-Atlantic event.
He said the current demand for places in the ARC has grown to the point where the WCC has had to launch a second event, ARC Plus, which began last year and includes a stop in Cape Verde Islands.
