Catching Up with St. Kitts: Minister Visits Canada, Announces Launch of Travel Advisor Board

Sometimes, arriving late to the game can be a positive. As a self-described latecomer to the Caribbean tourism industry, the fact that St. Kitts is “relatively untouched and not overly commercialized” is a major selling point.

That’s the view of the Honourable Marsha Tamika Henderson, Minister of Tourism, Civil Aviation, International Transport, Employment and Labour and Urban Development. 

“We closed the sugar industry in 2005 and looked to tourism. So it is still relatively new for us,” Henderson told Travel Market Report Canada. She was in Toronto to launch a collaboration with local jewellery designer and store bluboho.

“We describe our tourism product as uncrowded and vibrant,” Henderson said. “It’s a calm place with no lines, but there’s adventure and nature to it as well.”

St. Kitts, officially named Saint Christopher, is a Caribbean island where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Caribbean Sea. With a population of just 40,000, it is the larger of a two-island nation known as St. Kitts and Nevis. Nevis is located just six minutes away from the larger island by speedboat.

All told, there are only about 2,800 rooms on St. Kitts and Nevis, with about 400 on the smaller island, with Four Seasons Nevis being the best-known property. On St. Kitts, the largest resort is the approximately 300-room St. Kitts Marriott Resort, which is also home to the Royal Beach Casino. Most other properties are boutique-style, with less than 100 rooms. There are several plantation resorts on St. Kitts and Nevis, which combine colonial architecture with the natural beauty of the setting.

During the winter season, Air Canada offers nonstop flights to St. Kitts from Toronto. But it’s not hard to get there year-round, if your clients don’t mind a transit through Miami or New York City. Currently, Canadians make up just 6% of visitors, but Minister Henderson is confident that number will grow in ensuing years.

Anita Nightingale, Chief Marketing Officer for the St. Kitts Tourism Authority, accompanied the Minister on her Toronto visit. She discussed the island’s ‘Do Not Disturb’ promotional campaign, which she says emphasizes the island’s ability “to make space for serenity.”

“Yes, you will find WiFi on St. Kitts, but why would you want it?” she asked.

St. Kitts broke new ground as the first Caribbean destination to offer an Electronic Travel Authorization system (eTA), which speeds admission to the country.

Minister Henderson told Travel Market Report Canada that the destination is seeking to build stronger ties with the travel trade by creating its first-ever Travel Advisor Board.

The initiative aims to strengthen ties with the travel agent community by providing professionals the opportunity to share direct feedback, offer insights and contribute to the destination’s ongoing tourism strategy.

Members of the Travel Advisor Board will enjoy benefits including:

• The opportunity to influence tourism strategy and marketing efforts.
• An annual in-destination meeting with key decision makers.
• Exclusive networking opportunities.
• Financial rewards and other incentives.

The Travel Advisor Board will consist of up to eight members representing St. Kitts’ key markets: the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and the Caribbean. Advisors will be selected based on professional experience, industry reputation and alignment with the destination’s tourism priorities.

The Tourism Authority is seeking representatives with expertise across all of St. Kitts’ core tourism pillars, including adventure travel, eco-tourism, luxury travel, romance, family travel, cultural experiences, events and corporate travel.