Published 2 May 2023
Bassetrre
Buckie Got It News Source
Basseterre, St. Kitts (02 May 2023) – St. Kitts is in full bloom with spring in full swing. The destination is on a positive path to recovery as we draw near the end of the peak winter season with encouraging rebound numbers in both stay-over and cruise arrivals post the COVID-19 pandemic. This, in addition to updates from the St. Christopher Air and Sea Ports Authority, Urban Development Corporation, and the final release of the artists for the 25th edition of the St. Kitts Music Festival, was the primary focus of Minister of Tourism et al, Honourable Marsha T. Henderson’s press conference convened at the St. Kitts Marriott Resort on Thursday 13 April.
The Minister offered critical updates on the ports’ infrastructure and highlighted the destination’s achievements, including cruise arrivals that doubled the previous year’s arrivals for the same period. Minister Henderson also expressed her optimism for stay-over arrivals with the decreasing gap between the 2019 and 2023 arrivals and the addition of airlift capacity for the summer period just in time for the St. Kitts Music Festival. While at the press conference, Minister Henderson used the opportunity to announce the final wave of artists and reiterated the festival’s importance in promoting the destination and its spinoff economic impact. The announcement fueled excitement for this year’s festival, revealing incredible acts such as Burna Boy, KES The Band, Romain Virgo, Teejay, and Gramps Morgan, amongst other notable performers. The complete roster of artists set to hit the stage on 22 June – 24 June can be found at www.stkittsmusicfestival.com.
“The music festival was created with the goal of generating revenue for the destination during the summer months after the peak of the tourism season. Hence, we promote a destination with a festival. We encourage our visitors and members of the diaspora to venture deeper and peel back the layers of a destination that offers culinary, history, eco-adventure, and of course, the rhythm of our people through music,” shared Honourable Marsha T. Henderson, Minister of Tourism.
The vision to develop strategies to create demand for the destination and stimulate economic activity continues to be at the heart of the promotional efforts of the St. Kitts Tourism Authority. The organization was born in 2003, a mere two years prior to the official closing of the sugar industry in 2005. With the closure of the sugar industry, the island transitioned fully to Tourism as its leading economic driver.
To mark its 20th anniversary of existence, twenty years of promoting the destination, and twenty years of serving the people of St. Kitts and Nevis, the SKTA will engage in several activities, which began in April with a video series titled: “The SKTA Experience.” The videos highlight the stellar contribution of stalwarts in the industry, and all activities will culminate in November during the Tourism Month celebrations. The video series can be found @kittitianheartbeat via Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram.
“This milestone marks two decades of passionate research, innovation, and development – two decades of a desire to broaden the destination’s horizons in pursuit of global brand recognition. The Authority, having achieved twenty years of remarkable growth and success would not be possible without the excellent team who over the years contributed to delivering quality performances with a tremendous amount of heart,” shared Ellison “Tommy” Thompson, Chief Executive Officer at the St. Kitts Tourism Authority.
As the destination continues to be marketed to various source markets, press trips continue to play an instrumental role in securing St. Kitts’ presence in various international travel publications.
James Litston, a travel writer for The Daily Telegraph and Travel Trade Gazette, recently visited St. Kitts as part of his island-hopping experience between neighboring islands such as Saba, St. Maarten, and St. Eustatius, where the destination will be spotlighted in his upcoming travel pieces in both publications.
The Daily Telegraph is consumed by almost 22 million Britons monthly, with a growing global digital audience of 89 million monthly browsers, whilst Travel Trade Gazette has 200,000+ page views per month, with approximately 10,000 copies of the magazine being sent out across the United Kingdom and Ireland.
In addition to April 2023 press trips, the Authority hosted popular US influencers for a rum and culinary experiential trip. The influencers were afforded the opportunity to experience the destination’s newly launched Kittitian RumMaster program whilst indulging in the culinary scene of St. Kitts.
Influencers:
Amanda Hogan Haydon | Instagram: @hausofhogan – 98.2K followers
Jacqueline Sabia | Instagram: @jqlouise – 102K followers
The Authority’s marketing plan continued with a UK-focused travel agent familiarization trip which hosted eight travel agents from notable agencies such as Designer Travel, Triangle Travel, Symphony Travel, Holidays Please, Travel Counsellors, Weald Travel, East of England Coop, and Not Just Travel. The travel agents were able to explore the destination’s properties, restaurants, and experiential tours to better sell St. Kitts’ to potential clients.
“An aggressive marketing strategy has been instrumental in building St. Kitts’ brand awareness in our source markets. Press trips are critical elements of our marketing efforts because our destination’s tourism industry continues to evolve, making it especially important to continuously update travel agents, advisors, and journalists about our diverse offerings,” shared Melnecia Marshall, Deputy CEO at the St. Kitts Tourism Authority.
The rebound of Caribbean tourism and opportunities for collaboration was the focus when CEO Thompson met with various OECS leaders, directors, and CEOs of Tourism Authorities and Boards in St Lucia. The discussions focused on expansion opportunities for St. Kitts in multiple niche markets. Discussions identified St. Kitts as a star candidate to be promoted as a wellness destination. St. Kitts is set to tap into this market as part of an upcoming multi-destination promotional project.
Minister Henderson, alongside the St. Kitts Authority’s Executives, emphasizes the importance of diversifying the destination’s current tourism product. Recently, an update meeting was facilitated with hoteliers to address how the accommodations sector can partner to promote the destination further. The meeting also sparked dialogue regarding student learning opportunities and ways the accommodations sector can collaborate to promote a more sustainable St. Kitts.
St. Kitts remains steadfast in its effort to drive travel to the island, and the destination continues to head in a positive direction.
