British holidaymakers planning a Spanish getaway in 2025 should be prepared for significant changes to border control procedures. The EU’s new Entry/Exit System, which was postponed once again last November, is now anticipated to be implemented later this year. The innovative automated system will necessitate UK tourists to scan their passports at an automated self-service…
THE shocking terrorist manual owned by Southport killer Axel Rudakubana can still be purchased online, the Express can reveal.’Al Qaeda Training Manual: Military Studies in the Jihad Against the Tyrants’ can be bought on eBay for just £27.29.According to the site, there are ten copies of the book available and one has been bought.On Monday, Rudakubana pleaded guilty to owning a digital copy of the book, as well as to the murder of three little girls, and the attempted murder of eight other kids and two adults.He carried out his horrific attack as his victims were enjoying a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in the Merseyside town.The book outlines methods of assassination, espionage, covert communications and how to avoid being captured by authorities.One chapter specifically instructs readers on how to create the deadly poisons ricin which was found at Rudakubana’s home.The Crown Prosecution Service said the terror training manual was “likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism”.It was previously also available at Waterstones, although it has since been removed from the site. Waterstones priced the hardback version of the book £31.99 and a paperback version at £19.95.A spokesman said: “Despite the best efforts of those who manage the catalogues and those who supply books, including ourselves, objectionable titles from time to time are listed.”With many millions of new titles published each year and the potential for malign intent of some participants, although very rarely, this does happen.”When we become aware of objectionable titles, we remove them from our catalogue while we investigate them and notify our cataloguing and trading partners.”We also examine our filters to improve these to limit as far as is possible [for] such instances in the future.”
Shocking new footage filmed secretly has revealed the racist comments made by a far right group.Now Dame Sara Khan, a former Counter-Extremism Commissioner, is calling on the government to change the law to make extremist groups illegal even if they do not incite violence.She made the claims after watching the undercover footage obtained by the BBC which shows activists from the far-right group Patriotic Alternative making racist comments.The footage shows members of the group who campaign on behalf of “indigenous British people” calling for illegal immigrants to be shot and skinned alive.Dame Sarah argued that groups such as Patriotic Alternative should be made illegal to prevent them from normalising their extremism in society.She told the BBC: “They should absolutely not be allowed to operate with impunity, we’ve seen their recent activity and their contribution towards public disorder in the summer riots.“It’s incredibly urgent… unless something changes, I’m afraid we’re going to continue to see groups like PA radicalise our children and make us a weaker and less democratic society.”Criminal barrister Ramya Nagesh used the example of those given custodial sentences for inciteful language online during riots last year to make the case for a change in the law.She said: “After the Southport riots, we saw prosecutions of individuals who’d posted even just one or two messages on their social media platforms and those messages (recorded by the BBC) were arguably not as inflammatory.”The BBC recently went undercover with the group in Merthyr Tydfil where they protested against the housing of migrants in hotels.Whilst there, one demonstrator Roger Phillips told an undercover reporter that “35 to 40 of us were prepping, arming ourselves”He added: “I’m buying a pump action shotgun now.”Who do you think is going to fight these migrants? Us lot.”Mr Phillips later claimed that the information was false and that he was aware that he was speaking to an undercover reporter. Another member of the group was recorded telling the reporter that migrants should be shot.Aaron Watkins, who recently lost his job at HMRC after he was caught making racist comments, said: “The communities that are the most diverse are the people we want to get rid of, violently preferably.”Round them up into camps and if they refuse to leave, we shoot them. The people who come here are parasites.”In another shocking incident, an activist was filmed comparing African people to dogs and suggesting that slaves had been happy to work for white people.Blair Cottrell told group members: “An old lady was stabbed to death by a gang of African kids. When you look at the way things happen in Africa, the only language they understand is violence.”The only way to effectively respond to a crime that they’ve committed as heinous as what I described is to literally skin them.“You hang a few of their bodies up across some traffic lights or something. Just theoretically of course, I can’t condone it.”A Home Office spokesperson said: “We work closely with law enforcement, local communities and our international partners to tackle groups and individuals who sow division and hatred.”
Donald Trump likes to discomfort his enemies.Not to mention his friends, his partners, business adversaries, celebrity critics, anyone, in fact, who could end up on the other side of a deal.
As president of the world’s largest economy, that makes for a long list, many of them in Davos on Tuesday trying to make sense of what his second term will mean, and not getting very far.Money blog: Trump’s cryptocurrency crashes as critics call it worthlessThe World Economic Forum is a body that likes to think it has the answers. The annual conference attracts leaders from business, politics and civil society, gathering to share their wisdom and cut deals on the side.
Less than 48 hours into Trump II not only are they struggling for answers, they’re yet not clear what the question is.For European political leaders, already exposed to soaring US growth rates, Trump’s still-vague threats to “tax and tariff” could pose a fundamental threat to economic cooperation and stability.In the absence of firm policy, they promised to work with Trump, but not at all costs.
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European Commission president Ursula Von der Leyen conceded that the harmonious world order imagined at the turn of the century is dead – “Instead we have a new era of harsh geo-strategic competition.”
The race is one, she said, but not to the bottom. “We will be pragmatic but we will always stand by our principles… because that is the European way.”Outgoing German chancellor Olaf Scholz, already a victim of the European populist wave, acknowledged the uncertainty.”President Trump and his government will keep the world in suspense in the coming years,” he said. “We can and will deal with that, without unnecessary agitation and outrage, but also without false ingratiation or telling people what they want to hear.”
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A glance at the tech billionaires lined up in front of the cabinet at the inauguration, behind only the Trump family, suggests that may be wishful thinking.UkraineThe most coherent response came from the European leader with most to lose.Volodymyr Zelenskyy asked not what Trump will do to help defeat Russia, but what Europe will do to remain relevant.He painted a picture of a US administration striking deals with Russia and China while Europe looked on, a fundamental challenge and a call to arms that made the continents’ leaders shift in their seats.For business, the implications are less grave but no less knotty.Business reactionBankers and investors are braced for the upside of a president who will measure success by the stock market as much as poll ratings, The crypto crowd meanwhile have a spring in their snowshoes.Others hope economic reality will outrun rhetoric.
In the face of Trump’s rejection of renewables and a promise to “drill baby, drill”, Henrik Anderson, chief executive of Danish wind turbine manufacturer Vestas, was not being blown off course”The US is our largest market, I listened to most of it [the inauguration] before I went to bed last night, and I slept well overnight,” he told Sky News.”This is the new administration coming into play, some of the legislation will either change or continue, but what I think we will see is that creating the energy he needs will also create jobs.”Others are not so sure. “F****** hell,” said one prominent British chief executive with a shake of the head.
Donald Trump has everyone guessing, which is just the way he likes it.
Tuesday, January 21, 2025–11:06 a.m.
-David Crowder, WRGA News-
The Business Outlook Luncheon at Berry College returns later this month.
The guest speaker will be Dr. Gary Wagner.
“He is on sabbatical from his very fancy chair down at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, said Lauren Heller, Dean of the Campbell School of Business at Berry. He is a friend and he’ll be coming to Berry to spend the week in residence, and as part of that, he will be giving the Business Outlook luncheon. He’s very well-versed in local economic conditions. He’s a true data guy, and I think he’ll provide a really great take that businesses can really use.”
The luncheon is on January 29 in the Krannert Center Ballroom.
“We will welcome our business colleagues in the community at 11:30,” Heller said. “There will be some time for some informal networking so everybody can see each other and talk about business a little bit. Then at 12, we will have lunch where Dr. Wagner will be talking about this sort of local economic forecast for our area, both locally and nationally.”
Berry business students will be at every table.
“They will be in professional dress and are excited to talk to our business leaders,” Heller added. “So, I would encourage you to attend the luncheon. I’d also encourage you to reach out to the business students with whom you’ll be interacting. I think you will be very impressed at our students and their engagement with the community.”
Tickets for the Business Outlook Luncheon are $30 each or $300 for a table. You can register via the Rome-Floyd Chamber of Commerce website at romega.com.
The original deadline for registration was Tuesday, but it has been extended so you will want to sign up as soon as possible.
Discover EntertainmentThe Life of Herod the Great by Zora Neale Hurston and Deborah G. Plant (Amistad, January 7)Now 20% OffIn the 1950s, Zora Neale Hurston (Their Eyes Were Watching God) spent many years writing a historical novel about the biblical King Herod as follow-up to her 1939 book, Moses, Man of the Mountain. When Hurston died in 1960, the manuscript remained unpublished and was almost destroyed in a fire. But Plant, a Hurston scholar, painstakingly combed through the surviving singed and smoke-stained pages to bring The Life of Herod the Great to readers for the first time. The result is a stunning and layered work of imagination and scholarship.Y2K by Colette Shade (Dey Street, January 7)Now 19% OffFellow millennials, did you close your eyes and wince a little when the ball dropped on New Year’s Eve in 1999? No? Just me? Like Chuck Klosterman’s The Nineties, Shade’s clear-eyed look back at the 2000s has everything you remember: technology that was actually fun to use, Starbucks that felt luxurious, and the constant existential anxiety from 9/11, the War on Terror, and the Great Recession. Y2K is an artisanal blend of nostalgia and analysis that helps us understand the decade that still defines contemporary culture.Advertisement – Continue Reading BelowSave Our Souls: The True Story of a Castaway Family, Treachery, and MurderNow 22% OffI’m a sucker for Big Boat Books like David Grann’s The Wager and Erik Larson’s Dead Wake, so Matthew Pearl’s (The Taking of Jemima Boone) new work of narrative nonfiction is right up my slipway. In the winter of 1887, an entire family of five, their dog, and two dozen crew members disappeared when their shark fishing boat was blown off course by a storm near Hawaii. What follows is a much darker version of Swiss Family Robinson when the shipwreck survivors encounter a stranded psychopath.We Lived on the Horizon by Erika Swyler (Atria Books, January 14)In 2025, we’re already living in an era when the proliferation of AI can make it impossible to determine what’s real. How much worse could that get a few decades or centuries from now? Erika Swyler’s (The Book of Speculation) fourth book is a timely science fiction novel set in Bulwark, a walled city that’s governed by AI. A woman named Enita, one of Bulwark’s upper-class “saints” thanks to the sacrifices her direct ancestors made to found the city, is drawn into a murder mystery after one of her fellow saints is killed and the city’s AI erases the death from history. It’s a haunting, suspenseful, and nuanced look at the future we may already be barreling toward.Advertisement – Continue Reading BelowDengue Boy by Michel Nieva, translated by Rahul Bery (Astra House, February 4)This psychedelic fever dream is set in Argentina around the turn of the 23rd century, where the melting ice caps have completely reshaped South America. While the wealthy 0.1 percent invest in new viruses and escape the worst effects of climate change on roaming cruise ships, the sweltering “Caribbean Pampas” gives birth to a human-mosquito hybrid who may have the power to change the status quo. Dengue Boy is Nieva’s English-language debut, extrapolated from a shocking short story that won the O. Henry Award in 2022.Original Sins by Eve L. Ewing (One World, February 11)Chicago’s polymath poet, comic book writer, and sociologist returns with a fascinating and eye-opening look at how American schools have helped build and reinforce an infrastructure of racial inequality. From the Founding Fathers to today’s classrooms, Ewing’s (Ghosts in the Schoolyard) brilliant research and analysis of our two-track school systems, written in her signature bracing prose, is a must-read for every American parent and educator.Advertisement – Continue Reading BelowDeath Takes Me by Cristina Rivera Garza, translated by Robin Meyers and Sarah Booker (Hogarth, February 25)Cristina Rivera Garza’s writing rewires your brain, summoning the ghosts of vivid emotions you’d forgotten you could even feel. Every new translation of Rivera Garza (The Taiga Syndrome) is a literary event on the scale of Roberto Bolaño and Clarice Lispector’s posthumous English publications, and her new meta-thriller, Death Takes Me, is no exception. When a professor named Cristina Rivera Garza stumbles upon a dead body, she helps a detective on the hunt for a serial killer who scrawls poetry near the corpses of his victims.The Dream Hotel by Laila Lalami (Pantheon, March 4)Lalami’s (The Other Americans) new novel has one of the best high-concept hooks of the year: a museum archivist is abducted by federal agents and taken to a detention center for observation after an algorithm predicts she will murder her husband in the near-future. During her monthslong stay in the facility, her dreams are monitored for evidence of homicidal intent. It feels like a mix between Steven Spielberg’s Minority Report and Wim Wender’s Until the End of the World, written in Lalami’s silky and celebrated prose. Advertisement – Continue Reading BelowThe River Has Roots by Amal El-Mohtar (Tordotcom, March 4)El-Mohtar’s last novel This Is How You Lose the Time War (co-written with Max Gladstone), is one of the only books to ever hit the bestseller lists four years after publication thanks to a viral tweet. Her new book, a concise fantasy adventure called The River Has Roots, is about Esther and Ysabel Hawthorne, two sisters who care for ancient trees in the town of Thistleford, which sits near the borders of Faerie. When one of the sisters gets romantically involved with a Faerie suitor, things take a turn for the worse. El-Mohtar is one of our finest crafters of sentences, and this book features a magic system called Grammar, so The River Has Roots automatically earns a spot on my nightstand. The Antidote by Karen Russell (Knopf, March 11)Now 10% OffWho can forget Karen Russell’s debut novel Swamplandia!, the Florida-set story of alligator wranglers that was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction back in 2012? Her new novel focuses on the other side of the country, where dust storms and the Great Depression have devastated a small town called Uz, Nebraska, where a “prairie witch” that can receive and preserve your memories, a camera that can see into the past and the future, and a farm that seems to be supernaturally unaffected by the drought.Advertisement – Continue Reading BelowThe Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones (Saga Press, March 18)Now 10% Off“I like to write novels that, to me, are broken at the level of conception, and then see if I can pull it off,” Graham Jones told Esquire two years ago. In Mongrels and The Only Good Indians, he took werewolves and ghost stories in exciting new directions. In the Indian Lake trilogy (My Heart Is a Chainsaw, Don’t Fear the Reaper, and The Angel of Indian Lake), he subverted our expectations for slasher horror. Now, he’s tackling the vampire mythos from a unique point of view: the lost 1912 diary of a Montana priest that records the life of a Blackfoot man named Good Stab.Dissolution by Nicholas Binge (Riverhead Books, March 25)“Binge” is exactly what I did (sorry) over the course of 48 hours with Nicholas’s last novel, Ascension, a suspenseful sci-fi thriller about a mountain that suddenly appears in the Pacific ocean. His new book, Dissolution, is about an elderly woman being interrogated by a stranger about her memories because someone is stealing the memories of her husband. I won’t go further in the plot than that, because putting together what’s happening is one of the novel’s pleasures. Advertisement – Continue Reading BelowWhere the Axe Is Buried by Ray Nayler (MCD, April 1)Nayler’s debut novel The Mountain in the Sea is one of my favorite works of science fiction of the decade so far. Needless to say, I’m anxiously awaiting Where the Axe Is Buried, which sounds like a mix between Apple TV+’s Foundation and Slow Horses adaptations. In the not-too-distant future, the president of the Federation keeps downloading his mind into “a succession of new bodies,” the AI-driven government of Western Europe is working out about as poorly as today’s ChatGPT users would expect, and a team of crack spies and scientists is trying to fight back.Searches: Selfhood in the Digital Age by Vauhini Vara (Pantheon, April 8)Vara wrote one of my favorite novels of the decade so far, The Immortal King Rao, so I’m excited to see her tackle the most controversial technology of that very same decade—the advent of ChatGPT and other LLM-based AI—in a work of nonfiction. A few years ago, Vara asked GPT-3 to co-write stories with her about the death of her sister, and the results went viral. Searches is a book-length exploration of humankind’s relationship with technology at this particularly fraught moment in time.Advertisement – Continue Reading BelowTerrestrial History by Joe Mungo Reed (Norton, April 8)As unlikely as it is in reality, I can’t resist science fiction novels about humanity leaving our celestial cradle for another planet. I also loved the short story Joe Mungo Reed published in Esquire a few years ago—Islanders, about the cost of immortality. In his new book, Terrestrial History, a scientist in Scotland meets a man who claims to be from the future: specifically, a future colony on Mars that he’s here to ensure happens.Audition: A Novel by Katie Kitamura (Riverhead Books, April 8)Now 11% OffKatie Kitamura only writes intense and fascinating novels. Her last two, Intimacies and A Separation, absolutely blew me away with how she uses voice, tone, and a careful attention to detail to build suspense. In Audition, the setup is fairly simple: a woman and a significantly younger man meet for lunch at a restaurant in New York. But figuring out who they really are—and discovering how Kitamura will structure their stories—will make this another addictive puzzle box.Advertisement – Continue Reading BelowMark Twain by Ron Chernow (Penguin Press, May 13)Now 11% OffAfter publishing definitive biographies of Alexander Hamilton, J. P. Morgan, John D. Rockefeller, Ulysses S. Grant, and George Washington (the latter of which made our list of the fifty best biographies of all time), the seventy-five-year-old Pulitzer Prize-winner has turned his sights on the white-haired Bard of the Mississippi. From a birth in Missouri to a death in Connecticut, Chernow’s new 1,200-page doorstopper promises to be the most detailed account of Twain’s life ever published.Metallic Realms by Lincoln Michel (Atria Books, May 13)In addition to having one of my favorite covers of the year, Lincoln Michel’s (The Body Scout) new novel is a brilliant, funny, and pulpy homage to the golden age of science fiction. Set in Brooklyn, it’s about a group of young writers who collaborate on a shared fictional universe called The Star Rot Chronicles, which readers get to glimpse in interstitials between chapters narrated by the writing group’s most deluded member.Advertisement – Continue Reading BelowThe Book of Records by Madeleine Thien (Norton, May 20)When I read the first chapter of Madeleine Thien’s new novel, The Book of Records, I had an intense emotional reaction. After a few more chapters, images from the book began appearing in my dreams at night. Both of these responses are extremely rare for me as a reader, but Thien has written something truly special here. It’s about a father and daughter migrating across the ocean who discover a liminal island where other migrants live in buildings made of time, but the less you know about the story before reading, the better.Katabasis by R. F. Kuang (Harper Voyager, August 26)Kuang’s follow-up to her dark academia masterpiece Babel will probably be the biggest fantasy book release of 2025. Her publicists are comparing Katabasis to “Dante’s Inferno meets Susanna Clarke’s Piranesi,” and her publisher is giving the hardcover release stenciled edges, case effects, and illustrated endpapers—which means they’re confident it’ll be a major hit. All we know about the story is this: When Alice Law’s Cambridge professor of Magick dies, she travels to Hell to get him back.Watch Next Advertisement – Continue Reading BelowAdvertisement – Continue Reading BelowAdvertisement – Continue Reading Below
With around 1 in 5 new businesses failing within the first year and inflation making things even more difficult, the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on the Best & Worst States to Start a Business in 2025, as well as expert commentary, to help people maximize their chances of success by starting in the right location.
WalletHub compared the 50 U.S. states across 25 key indicators of startup success. The data set ranges from financing accessibility to labor costs to office-space affordability.
Starting a Business in Kentucky (1=Best; 25=Avg.):
Overall Rank for Kentucky: 10th
14th – Office-Space Affordability
7th – Labor Costs
8th – Availability of Human Capital
16th – Avg. Length of Work Week (in Hours)
7th – Cost of Living
For the full report, please visit:https://wallethub.com/edu/best-states-to-start-a-business/36934
Since 2019, President Donald Trump has been served six different cases involving non-disclosure payments, classified documents, election subversions and civil fraud. These include the hush money, 2020 election interference, Washington election subversion, Florida classified documents and New York civil fraud cases, which gained significant attention. Courtesy of Flickr In March 2023, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin…
Listen–1.0x+ 0:006:25 Produced by ElevenLabs and News Over Audio (Noa) using AI narration. Listen to more stories on the Noa app. During Donald Trump’s first term as president, critics used to ask, Can you imagine the outcry if a Democrat had done this? As Trump begins his second, the relevant question is Can you imagine…
Metro Vancouver travellers who love Hawaii should check out tropical island in the Caribbean that boasts similar tropical vistas.
Easily recognizable by its majestic tapered mountain mountains, known as Pitons, Saint Lucia oozes tropical beauty, covered in lush, tropical rainforest and home to breathtaking beaches with sparkling, turquoise waters.
The Pitons are two volcanic plugs on the island’s southwestern coast: Gros Piton (2,530 feet) and Petit Piton (2,438 feet). The local beer brand, Piton, is named after the iconic landmarks, explains the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority.
Visitors may wish to hike around the Pitons and check out the local exotic flora and fauna or sail around them to get a view.
Located in the Eastern Caribbean, the island nation’s closest neighbours include Martinique, Dominica and Guadeloupe, all of which are connected by inter-island ferries.
The island is also home to a vibrant nightlife scene, with residents and visitors enjoying dancing and live music in local clubs and restaurants.
Find out everything you need to know about planning a trip from Vancouver to Saint Lucia.
What airlines should I fly to to Saint Lucia?
Saint Lucia has two airports. Hewanorra International Airport (UVF) is the larger one most flights from Canada and the United States fly into it. George F.L. Charles Airport (SLU) is the second and smallest, serving primarily inter-island travel.
From Vancouver International Airport (YVR), travellers must take a connecting flight to reach UVF. Some popular stopover spots en route from Vancouver include Toronto, Montreal, Dallas, and Miami.
The lowest-priced tickets on return trips from YVR to UVF start at just under $700.
Airlines that fly to or partially to Saint Lucia via one of their airline partners include:
Air Canada
American Airlines
Delta
JetBlue
Qatar Airways
United
WestJet
When should I book my ticket to Saint Lucia?
Travellers don’t need to plan their trip to Saint Lucia very far in advance.
Tickets from YVR to UVF start for under $800 if booked as little as a week in advance. Travellers may still need to be flexible with the outbound and departure dates to get the cheapest option. However, they don’t typically need to book several weeks or months ahead unless they plan to visit during a big holiday.
When is the best time of year to visit Saint Lucia?
Saint Lucia’s climate is warm and tropical year-round but hurricanes usually occur from mid-May to the end of November.
If you decide to travel to a coastal area during the hurricane season, the Canadian government advises you to do the following:
Be prepared to change your travel plans on short notice, including cutting short or cancelling your trip
Stay informed of the latest regional weather forecasts
Carry emergency contact information for your airline or tour operator
Follow the advice and instructions of local authorities
The peak season for travellers occurs from December through early March, with drier, more pleasant weather attracting tourists in droves, which drives up ticket and accommodation prices.
Is it safe to visit Saint Lucia?
The Government of Canada greenlights travellers to visit Saint Lucia, advising them to take normal security precautions when visiting the Eastern Caribbean island. However, some places are seeing increased violence and travellers must exercise caution.
Petty crimes, such as pick-pocketing and purse-snatching, may occur. Credit card scams involving the use of ATMs may also occur. Visitors should cover their PIN when using these machines and be careful when handing their cards over to people. They should also be wary of using machines with “irregular” or “unusual” features.
Violent crime, such as gun violence, has increased over the past year, especially in Vieux Fort, a town located near the southernmost point of Saint Lucia. The government has reported murders, sexual assaults, robberies, and gang-related violence. Travellers are advised to:
Be aware of their surroundings at all times
Avoid walking alone after dark
Avoid isolated areas
Avoid showing signs of affluence or wearing expensive jewellery
Avoid carrying large sums of cash or unnecessary valuables
Stay in accommodations with adequate security measures
Check with local authorities to determine which beaches are safe
Canada says 2SLGBTQI+ persons could face discrimination and should “carefully consider the risks of visiting St Lucia.” Saint Lucian law criminalizes sexual acts and relationships between persons of the same sex; they could face a lengthy jail sentence.
They may also be detained based on “their sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or sex characteristics. They could also be detained and face other charges such as cross-dressing , gross indecency , and offence to public morals .
Important considerations in Saint Lucia for tourists to know
Your passport must be valid for at least three months before you expect to leave Saint Lucia.
The Canadian government advises travellers that Saint Lucia regularly experiences water shortages and local authorities may impose water rationing measures. Travellers should keep a sufficient supply of water on hand and monitor local authorities for directions.
Do I need a visa to visit Saint Lucia?
A tourist visa is not required for stays up to six weeks.
Air travellers are encouraged to fill out the Online Immigration Form before arriving in the country. It may be completed up to three days before arrival.
One form is required per family and a QR code will be sent by email once completed. This QR is shown to authorities on arrival.
According to the tourism authority, you must have the following information to complete the form:
Flight Information
Passport details for all family members travelling with you
A photo of the travel documents, more specifically your passport bio page or ID card for Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) citizens only
A valid email address
Do I need to get any special travel vaccines ahead of visiting Saint Lucia?
Visit a travel medical clinic before you book a ticket. The healthcare professionals will inform you about what vaccinations you require and what you can expect on your trip. There are risks of contracting several viruses spread by mosquitoes including Zika and chikungunya.
Pregnant women, or women planning to get pregnant soon, may want to rethink their travel plans. The Canadian government recommends that you wait for two months after visiting Saint Lucia or after the onset of illness due to Zika virus (whichever is longer) before trying to get pregnant. If your male partner travelled with you, wait three months after travel or after the onset of illness.
What kind of activities can I enjoy in Saint Lucia?
Visitors to Saint Lucia can enjoy adrenaline-fuelled activities such as zip-lining through the lush rainforests, riding ATVs through the countryside, and several water sports, such as parasailing and surfing.
Water-based activities are some of the island’s biggest draws, boasting some of the world’s best snorkelling and diving opportunities. People can also rent boats or join sailing tours that visit different areas of the island, with some offering additional activities, such as fishing and snorkelling.
Visitors can also enjoy hiking in Pigeon Island National Park, home to old fort ruins from the 1700s.
What kind of big events and festivals can I enjoy in Saint Lucia?
Independence Day festivities, including calypso shows and parades, draw crowds in February, while travellers plan to visit during the Saint Lucia Jazz and Arts Festival from April 30 to May 11, 2025.
The Caribbean island also has an annual Lucian Carnival for three weeks in May with numerous events such as parades, live bands, dancing, beauty pageants, boat rides, festive brunches, and much more.
According to the tourism authority, a festival occurs on Aug. 30 called “La Rose.” Saint Lucia’s cultural traditions are divided into two “societies” – the Roses and Marguerites, whose members praise their respective flowers. Each society holds a massive festival or “grande fete” in honour of their respective flower.
“La Rose” members pledge allegiance to the rose by “dressing in red and creating flamboyant displays made of roses.”
The Marguerites have their Fete La Marguerite on Oct. 17. Their members dress in ” purple and create displays of the Marguerite flower in addition to singing their traditional songs.”
Saint Lucia also runs a month-long Creole Heritage Month in October celebrating music, dance, cuisine, art and other cultural expression that culminates on Oct. 29 with the celebration of Creole Day (Jounen Kweyol).
How much money will I spend on accommodation in Saint Lucia?
Accommodation prices in Saint Lucia vary widely, starting at a modest nightly rate of $78 at the Aupic Paradise Hotel Vieux Fort – located five minutes from the airport – or several rental apartments at roughly the same price point ($70 to $100).
Travellers looking for a step up can find hotels priced between $150 to $500, including the three-star Marigot Beach Club & Dive Resort with nightly rates starting at $236 or the four-star Bej Jou Hotel with nightly at $401.
At the other end of the spectrum, the island also has several luxury accommodations, including the awe-inspiring “Sugar Beach, a Viceroy Resort,” located between the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Pitons. The resort’s nightly rates start over $2,000. However, guests are afforded stunning views of the lush, tropical gardens and the crystal clear waters lapping onto Sugar Beach.
Find more information about exciting destinations in B.C. and across the globe, as well as travel deals and tips, by signing up for V.I.A.’s weekly travel newsletter The Wanderer. Since travel deals can sell out, find out the day they are posted by signing up for our daily Travel Deals newsletter.
Want to learn more about a specific destination or simply have a travel concern or idea that you would like V.I.A. to write about? Email us at elana@vancouverisawesome. Send us stories about recent holidays that you’ve been on, or if you have any tips you think our readers should know about.