St. Kitts in Active Talks to Build First All-Inclusive Resort

An all-inclusive resort could be in the cards for St. Kitts’ future. 

The Caribbean destination is in talks with developers who want to build the island’s first all-inclusive resort, according to St. Kitts Minister of Tourism Marsha T. Henderson.

Since entering the tourism business just about 20 years ago, St. Kitts has not had any all-inclusives open. Instead, there are hotels and resorts offering optional all-inclusive packages to guests. This has allowed St. Kitts to deliver on more curated experiences for its visitors and allow them to “venture deeper” into the destination. 

Still, Henderson said that St. Kitts would welcome an all-inclusive resort for the travelers who wish to “fly and flop.”  

“It’s not something we’re opposed to. We just are not there yet,” she said. “We have been in active discussions because we do understand that there are some visitors who want that experience.  

“But for now, because our destination is still relatively new in comparison to some other destinations, we feel it’s important for our visitors to connect with the destination as opposed to coming and staying in an all-inclusive resort.” 

Though she could not reveal any details about who the interested developers might be, Henderson noted that St. Kitts is committed to sustainability when it comes to new construction on the island. 

“If we don’t have a destination to sell, then there would be no tourism,” she said. “So we are embarking together on a number of sustainable practices, whether it’s in hotel construction, the way we use our ports, or our ban on single use plastic, to make sure we do have tourism not just for today but for tomorrow, as well.”   

On the topic of tomorrow, St. Kitts is growing its product in 2025, especially with new tours and adding airlift to the destination. St. Kitts is also launching new marketing campaigns and travel advisor perks and FAM trips in the new year. 

TMR spoke with Henderson and Kelly Fontenelle, the new CEO of St. Kitts Tourism Authority, about what’s ahead for the island. 

What else is new in St. Kitts?

Before the Covid-19 pandemic, St. Kitts was focused on cruise tourism. But over the past few years, tourism officials have been doubling down on stayovers that involve immersive tours and experiences. 

“We realized people wanted immersive type experiences,” Henderson said. “Our destination is just suited for that, and so we started capitalizing on it.” 

Two years ago, St. Kitts launched its Venture Deeper campaign to meet that demand and help visitors engage with its rich history, culinary offerings, and beautiful landscapes. One of its most popular experiences is the Kittitian Rum Master program, a tour that takes you to the Caribbean’s oldest distillery and teaches about rum making. 

Now, the destination is continuing that momentum with new activities. In 2025, St. Kitts Tourism Authority will roll out new experiences visiting St. Kitts Eco Park and new culinary tours focusing on local cuisine. 

In addition, St. Kitts gets more flight options from North America each year. 

American Airlines will resume its twice daily service between Miami International Airport (MIA) and Robert L. Bradshaw International Airport (SKB) from January through April in 2025 and its Saturday flights for the rest of the year, a 40% increase in flights from last year. American also has flights to St. Kitts from New York-JFK and Charlotte.  

Air Canada has seasonal flights to St. Kitts. Delta flies to St. Kitts out of Atlanta every Saturday, and JetBlue has service three days a week year-round. Passengers can also fly from Barbados, Puerto Rico, and St. Maarten as connections for multi-destination trips. 

“The airlines see us as two destinations, as two experiences in one, because our sister island Nevis is literally six minutes away,” Fontenelle said, pointing to the many festivals held in both St. Kitts and Nevis throughout the year. 

All of this has been helping St. Kitts’ goal of evolving from a seasonal to a year-round destination. 

How can travel advisors get involved?

Just this summer, the St. Kitts Tourism Authority launched its St. Kitts Yourway (SKY) Travel Agent Program, an incentive program for travel advisors. This will extend into and expand in the new year with new benefits and FAM trip opportunities. 

“We want our travel advisors to come out and have that experience so they can go back and recommend it highly because they’ve done everything that the consumer will do,” Fontenelle said.

Travel advisors can sign up for the program on the St. Kitts TravPro page. Once they complete the specialist courses, they can then log bookings and earn rewards. 

St. Kitts is also launching new marketing campaigns centered around romance and wellness that can help advisors entice their clients even further to visit the destination. The romance campaign includes couples packages running through February 2025 at Belle Mont Sanctuary Resort; Park Hyatt St. Kitts Christophe Harbour; Koi Resort, Curio Collection by Hilton; and Ramada by Wyndham St. Kitts Resort.