 The national vaccination program is intensifying with the setup of more vaccination sites in communities around the island. On Tuesday 9th March 2021, tourism, another sector on the front line of the COVID-19 response, was targeted for immunization. A special clinic was held at the Finance Administrative Centre for Industry Leaders to build trust within the sector. Jesse Leos tells us more. Moments after receiving her first dose of the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine, hotelier and former Senator Berthier Parle implored hotel workers to follow suit in order to restore full confidence in the local tourism sector. Parle and dozens other industry leaders participated in the latest televised immunization exercise aimed at spurring further acceptance of the vaccine. A lot of the English visitors coming to the island and the American visitors are all taking the vaccines and they feel a lot more comfortable knowing they come into an island and a hotel where they'll be staying, where the team members have all been vaccinated. I know there's a lot a lot of information, probably too much information out there but I want to tell the staff members that I think it's important that they all agree and take the vaccine because I think it's going to encourage visitors to come to St Lucia and more importantly to come to their hotels knowing they will be safe and they will be able to have a wonderful location. The St Lucia Hospitality Anterism Association confirms that globally consumer preferences shifting toward destinations that implement the highest safety and security measures against the virus. Chief Executive Officer Nurani Aziz also receiving his first dose live on air says sector leaders are coming to understand the benefits of being an immunized destination. Having the vaccine, having our team members inoculated not only provides safety for us but also lends itself to a level of consumer confidence in coming to the destination and availing themselves of what it is we have to offer. So from an economic standpoint there's no doubt that it does have value in terms of our competitive positioning but more important than that is the health and safety of ourselves and our loved ones by availing ourselves of the vaccine and being inoculated. Donna Lynn Vitte, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism marked the significance of the vaccination exercise following months of displacement in the sector caused by the pandemic. We have the boat operators, the taxi drivers, those persons from the cruise industry, the accommodation sector, we have the vendors, I mean you name it, we have all facets within the tourism industry and the purpose here this morning is to represent each sector and have each person come and sort of motivate and give their own personal testimony because we really hand from even those who got inoculated this morning that they too had their perceptions but once they were able to get the information and bona fide information that has changed their mind and they heard today to get their vaccine and they could talk about it. So it's really really a crowning moment for us in the tourism industry. The national COVID-19 vaccine campaign's special clinic for tourism industry leaders was held on Tuesday March 9th at the finance administrative center in Pointe-sur-Finn, Cass Trees. For the Government Information Service, I am Jassi-Leyonce reporting.