There are concerns in St Lucia about lower than expected ticket sales for Cricket World Cup matches that will be played there. So far 65% of the tickets available have not been sold. Officials of the Cricket World Cup Organising Committee have said that St Lucians themselves don't seem that interested. But the President of the Saint Lucia Hotel and Tourism Association, Colin Hunte, counters that numbers are not the all important factor. A showcase event "The opportunity we have is really in the whole idea of marketing and promotion. We are going to be showcased, and really we have to look at opportunities as opposed to numbers," he told BBC Caribbean. The Association president believes that the preliminary games in St Lucia are less attractive than the others - he sees this as one of the reasons for only a third of the tickets for matches there having been sold to date. It is different for the semi-finals which are already sold out. Poor sales Many theories have been advanced for the low overall ticket sales which other Caribbean venues with preliminary matches - Jamaica, Trinidad and St Kitts included - are experiencing. One suggestion is that stadium security arrangements may have put a damper on the traditional West Indian way of enjoying cricket. To use a conch shell for example, would require special permission. Other factor cited are the type of matches being played in the preliminary round, and hotel and airline rates. Despite these apparent setbacks, former Saint Lucia Tourism Minister Philip J. Pierre is hopeful that there will be a turnaround in ticket sales: "You know we are always last minute, and I think that the sales will improve," he said. Saint Lucia is one of nine host venues in the region for Cricket World Cup. In addition to preliminary matches, the island will also host one semi-final on April 25th. Reprinted from bbccaribbean.com