Come December, Saint Lucia will feature prominently on the cover of the European Business Magazine as the Best Caribbean Island to Invest in.

The magazine is Europe's leading subscriber based publication. According to the publisher of the European Business Magazine, “Saint Lucia’s award for ‘Best Caribbean Island to Invest’ was based on new projects; the expected returns on those investments; the yield and return on real estate; and government assistance as it relates to tax incentives. The island received over 30,000 votes over a six-month period, with readers citing areas of significance such as standard of living, the preservation of domestic laws and ease of access. Readers were also impressed with the current projects from international investors, which signals investor confidence in the island’s potential as a choice investment location.

Saint Lucia will be prominently featured on the front cover of the international publication’s upcoming edition in December. The piece will include information on why Saint Lucia has earned the reputation as the best island to invest in. The Saint Lucia edition will be distributed at the 2019 World Economic Forum which will be held January 22-25 in Switzerland.

Chief Executive Officer of Invest Saint Lucia, Roderick Cherry, believes the Award speaks to how the island is viewed by the international community. Cherry explains:” the work begins after that. Investors now are aware that Saint Lucia is a major player with possibilities for investment. The important thing now is to turn all of that interest into active projects which will then help Invest Saint Lucia to achieve its goal of advancing the island economically.”

Over the past few weeks, Invest Saint Lucia has made its presence felt at various investment-related functions in its bid to attract investors. Among them was the 12th Global Residence and Citizenship Conference which took place in Dubai.

The recently appointed CEO said: “It is a very competitive marketplace with many countries seeking foreign direct investment through Citizenship by Investment Programs. For Saint Lucia, the message was that compliance is vigorous and that the government is not in the business of selling passports to just any and everyone. We needed to ensure that everyone knows that there is integrity in our passport and we plan to maintain that.”

A key deciding factor for investors is a country’s workforce. The ISL CEO notes that one of Saint Lucia’s biggest selling points is its trainable workforce as witnessed in the experience of Ojo Labs. The company is the creator of an innovative, artificial intelligence based technology that can conduct text conversations with consumers. More than 180 young Saint Lucians received were trained and employed by the company. By March 2019, the staff complement will move to 300.

Building on that success, Cherry informs that “a number of investors in that sector have seen what has been achieved and Saint Lucia is attracting quite a bit of attention with discussions taking place.”

The Desert Star Holding (DSH) Project is another interest generator and if it happens as planned, it will bring a substantial change to the south of the island and Saint Lucia as whole.

In the coming weeks, Invest Saint Lucia will be announcing the commencement of a new project in the south—one the CEO has described as a game changer. Invest Saint Lucia is the sole developer of that project.