Nevis, West Indies. ?A Non-Tourist-Trap? Blog About Nevis.

Tourists Board The Bob and Elvis Party Bus
Photo By Erasmus Williams

Basseterre, St. Kitts - Nevis
January 18, 2010 (CUOPM)

St. Kitts and Nevis has become one of the leading sports tourism destinations in the region, St. Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Hon. Dr. Denzil L. Douglas boasted Saturday.

“We have expanded and improved the Robert L Bradshaw International Airport so that our Federation can now proudly boast of direct flights to London, New York, Miami, Atlanta and Charlotte,” said Prime Minister Douglas.

Since taking office in July 1995, the St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Administration American Airlines has begun scheduled daily flights from Miami and twice daily flights from JFK in New York. US Airways operates a weekly flight from Charlotte, North Carolina on Saturdays. Delta Airlines has flights on Wednesdays and Saturdays to the Robert L. Bradshaw International Airport. British Airways has been operating a weekly flight from Gatwick-London every Saturday and will introduce a second flight on Wednesday in March this year.

“We have redesigned Port Zante and secured it with an expansive revetment project so that we are now one of the leading cruise ship destinations in the region, and we now attract nearly a half million cruise passengers to the Federation each year,” said Prime Minister Douglas.

Dr. Douglas also boasted of his administration’s construction of the Silver Jubilee Athletic Stadium, the Conaree Cricket and Football Stadium, the St. Paul’s Stadium and the Warner Park Stadium.

“These provide convenience to our people, to create opportunities for our young people, and to establish St. Kitts and Nevis as one of the leading sports tourism destinations in the region,” said the St. Kitts and Nevis leader.

Dr. Douglas said that the Federation’s progress in tourism has impacted people from all walks of life in society.

“Some 130 new taxi drivers were licensed in 2009 alone and we have seen a range of new tourism related enterprises established throughout our Federation,” said Dr. Douglas, who pointed to expansion in the range of restaurants, arts and craft vendors, caterers, tours operators, entertainers and performers and various supplier and service providers in other sectors of the economy have all benefitted by selling to the tourism sector.

Related posts:

1. St. Kitts - Nevis Airports Have More US Air Traffic
2. Nevis Tourism Hurt By Closure Of Four Seasons Resort
3. British Airways To Offer Second Flight To St. Kitts - Nevis
4. Investment In Tourism Reduces Impact Of Economic Downturn
5. New British Airways Flight To Aid St. Kitts - Nevis Tourism

St. Kitts Delegation To Caribbean Marketplace

Basseterre, St. Kitts - Nevis
January 12, 2010 (CUOPM)

St. Kitts is said to be starting the new year off on an optimistic note at this year’s Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) Caribbean Marketplace which ends in San Juan, Puerto Rico on Tuesday.

According to Caribbean Net News, St. Kitts is demonstrating measurable advancement in the development and promotion of the island’s tourism industry and a positive outlook for 2010.

The message from the St. Kitts delegation is that St. Kitts is “the” island to watch for the coming year and beyond.

While at Marketplace, members of the St. Kitts delegation have the opportunity to meet and interact with key tour operators and/or wholesalers covering the travel industry and Caribbean region, while also networking with select journalists, distribution systems, and publishing companies. The two day event consists of pre-scheduled appointments between suppliers and buyers as well as various social events and receptions.

“Taking part in the CHTA Caribbean Marketplace is an excellent way to kick off our efforts for 2010,” said Mrs. Rosecita Jeffers, CEO of the St. Kitts Tourism Authority. “The networking opportunities here are outstanding and we intend to take full advantage of all those afforded to us. St. Kitts is well on its way to becoming a world-class tourism destination and our new developments continue to progress steadily, which gives us plenty of positive news to discuss with event attendees.”

Moving forward in 2010, St. Kitts will maintain its strategic niche-driven approach to promotion of its tourism product, and, with the growing influence of online and social media, St. Kitts will be directing more efforts to these tactics in 2010. To further support the predicted uptick for 2010 and encourage inbound travel, St. Kitts has extended its island-wide value added programs. The island’s hotel and resort developments are continuing to advance through various planning and construction phases. Environmental sustainability will be a key area of focus, as will the development of product standards to positively impact the overall visitor experience.

During the first quarter of 2010 alone, St. Kitts has a peak season Delta Air Lines non-stop flight from Atlanta that just began on December 23, 2009; British Airways will begin a second direct flight from London Gatwick airport through Antigua on March 30, 2010 in addition to the daily flight by American Airlines from Miami and the twice weekly flight from JFK in New York and US Airways flights from Philadelphia and South Carolina.

Cruise arrivals for the 2009/2010 peak season are set to increase 18 percent over the previous season, approaching the half-million mark for the first time in the island’s history.

Related posts:

1. Nevis Tourism Maintains High Standards In Spite of Recession
2. St. Kitts - Nevis Tourism Poised For Growth
3. Tourism Week To Help Nevis Business
4. St. Kitts - Nevis Tourism Growth 2nd Highest In Region
5. Investment In Tourism Reduces Impact Of Economic Downturn

Senator Ricky Skerritt

Basseterre, St. Kitts - Nevis
January 11, 2010 (CUOPM)

Fears for the future of tourism, if there is to be a change to a PAM-led Administration has come from Minister of State for Tourism, Sen. the Hon. Ricky Skerritt.

“After last week’s election announcement and extra-ordinary bell-ringing celebrations - and seeing the thousands of people there who now depend on tourism for their livelihoods “I am categorical that the future of our tourism economy is only safe with a Labour Government,” Skerritt said in a statement on the weekend.

Skerritt is a experienced former business executive, who has been at the forefront of the impressive growth of the local tourism industry over the last five years since he was appointed by Prime Minister Hon. Dr. Denzil L. Douglas, to help his Labour cabinet transform the St. Kitts and Nevis economy following the closure of the centuries old sugar industry.

“This Labour Government has delivered millions of dollars to our economy in tourism expenditure and attracted valuable new investments that would be at risk with a change in national leadership,” said Skerritt, who noted that effective airlift negotiations have brought tremendous growth in airline seat capacity to the Robert L. Bradshaw Airport and there has been a phenomenal increase in cruise visitor arrivals.

“The list goes on and on. Tourism is now a reality in St. Kitts for the first time at a scale never seen before and we have gained new respect in the regional and global marketplace,” said Skerritt, pointing out that jobs and the livelihoods of hundreds of nationals are at stake.

Mr. Skerritt said this progress must be allowed to continue under Labour.

Minister Skerritt was very clear that he does not believe that either the PAM team or its shadow tourism minister, Lindsay Grant, have the necessary experience or understanding to deliver continuing growth in tourism.

“Talk is easy,” the Minister said, adding: “Remember how it used to be? Under PAM there was no tourism growth to speak of, just broken promises by a lone-ranger Minister who did more talking than real work. Port Zante was like a desert. We can’t afford PAM led tourism experiments like that again. Lindsay Grant has no experience in anything substantive, and he has no serious tourism relationships. The slippage that would occur while Grant and PAM fumble around on the learning curve would be disastrous for tourism jobs, the economy and the country�.

Senator Skerritt believes strongly that under the current Prime Minister’s leadership, St. Kitts and Nevis’ tourism economy is in safe hands.

“Dr. Douglas already understands the requirements for sustainable tourism. He shares the vision and he walks the walk. He delivers results. He delivers jobs. He has ensured that we took the right initiatives so that the benefits of tourism can be spread widely, even in the midst of the economic downturn that has crippled so much tourism within the region. Prime Minister Douglas has a record that speaks for itself. A record of delivering progress. That is why I know he is still the right Prime Minister for our tourism industry and our country. It would be irresponsible for voters to risk everything by trusting tourism to PAM.”

Related posts:

1. Minister Skerritt Speaks Out On Upcoming Elections
2. Ricky Skerritt Elected Fourth Vice President Of CTO
3. Skerritt Disappointed By PAM’s Carnival Politics
4. St. Kitts Minister of Tourism Speaks Out
5. PM Douglas Accuses PAM Of Trying To Ruin Tourism