The Federation of St Kitts and Nevis is being marketed as a safe destination in order to tempt yachts to visit as a first step toward rebuilding its struggling tourism industry.
“We need to understand that rebuilding the tourism market is going to take integrity of the brand and it is also going to take the management of the Covid-19 virus here in St Kitts and Nevis,” CEO of the St Kitts Tourism Authority, Raquel Brown, said in a speech before the Federation Cabinet this week.
Brown said the recognition received by the Federation for its handling of Covid-19 is being emphasised in every tourism communication, along with the Islands’ reputation for being undercrowded, with lots of opportunities for outdoor seclusion, according to zizonline.
The tourism chief told the cabinet that yachting is a “very dear and import” market segment.
“With all that has happened with stayover visitations, specifically accommodations and also with the cruise sector, we’ve looked at yachting to help us to supply some of the demand for our locals here who have businesses,” Brown said. “So, the yachting market we hope will provide a source of revenue from what has been definitely cut off from not having the [normal cruise & wedding] traffic.”
According to Statista.com, St Kitts received roughly 1.2 million tourists in 2019, which the UN World Trade Organization says are approximately 90% same-day visitor arrivals or mostly cruise ship passengers.
