Having touched down last year on the sunkissed island of Barbados, Aer Rianta International (ARI) is now eyeing airport retail opportunities in the nearby Caribbean island of St Lucia.
A government delegation from St Lucia spent some time here late last year to examine ways of attracting more visitors from Ireland, a trip that led to contact being made with ARI.
Set up 20 years ago, ARI is one of the world's leading airport retailers, operating shops in Europe, North America, the Middle East and Russia, including five stores in Barbados. It made a profit contribution of €19.5 million to the Dublin Airport Authority in 2006.
Tourism is second only to banana exports as a source of revenue for the tiny island. It has become a popular wedding destination, hosting more than 3,500 couples from overseas each year.
The island has two international airports it wants to develop in terms of duty-free sales. Both need a makeover and ARI sent some of its people to the island recently to assess opportunities.A decision is expected shortly.
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