In a travel world bursting at the seams with overpacked, over-touristed destinations, travellers could use a little St. Kitts and Nevis – two Caribbean sister islands that can bring a little calm to our frenetic lives – according to St. Kitts’ new tourist authority CEO.
“When you arrive, you feel the calmness and it leads you to that sense of well-being,” says Kelly Fontenelle. “St. Kitts is a very calm destination.”
Fontenelle, who took office July 1, replacing the well-known Tommy Thompson, was a part of St. Kitts Tourism Authority delegation, along with minister of tourism Marsha Tamika Henderson, calling in Toronto this week for meetings with travel operators and media, and strategically timed to coincide with Air Canada Vacations’ fall product launch on Thursday.
The new CEO told Travel Industry Today the mission was designed to further its relations with the trade in one of the islands’ most important markets, and one from which it is working to spur growth.
With Air Canada seasonal flights from Toronto between November and March, the tourist authority is hoping to grow Canadian visitations (currently about 10,000 to 12,000 per year) to warrant year-round service. Fontenelle notes that many Canadians do access the islands via US gateways.
“We are very serious about the Canadian market,” she says, adding that travel advisors are equally important and “cherished,” particularly as St. Kitts features a high-end luxury product that is ideally sold through agents.
To that end, Fontenelle says the tourist authority is currently revising and improving its destinations specialist course and offers the St. Kitts Your Way (SKY) program for agents, including on-island discounts (including accommodation) from August to December.
There are also FAM trips being planned for 2025, she adds.
Visitors
As for Canadian visitors, they’ll notably find a destination that is conscious about sustainability and the number of visitors it attracts, with minister Henderson stating, “We are not a mass-market destination.”
St. Kitts is the busier of the two islands – “more vibrant,” and best suited for those seeking a little more activity, says Fontelle – and Nevis, more “low key,” with plenty of boutique hotel and small cottage options.
Noteworthy accommodations include the Four Seasons Nevis, the Park Hyatt St. Kitts Christophe Harbour, as well as the Koi Resort St. Kitts (Hilton), a dual Marriott property, and the Four Seasons Nevis.
Boasting plenty of sun, sand, and sea – and all that goes along with that – the small islands are not lacking in attractions, including, in St. Kitts, the UNESCO recognized 500-year-old Brimstone Hill Fortress Park, rain-forested Mt. Liamuiga, and the Sugar Train, the Caribbean’s only scenic passenger railway, which recalls the former British island’s history as a top sugar producer.
Less than 10 minutes away by water taxi, sister island Nevis (part of the twin-island federation formally known as St. Christopher and Nevis), is known for its unspoilt coastline, botanic gardens, and historical significance as the birthplace of American founding father, Alexander Hamilton.
Together comprise a great “two destination” holiday for visitors, says Henderson.
Besides gastronomy (Restaurant Week takes place every July), two other key tourism pillars are romance (including destination weddings) and well-being, the two often going hand in hand.
Fontenelle is quick to add the islands’ are renowned for their diving opportunities.
Meanwhile, the recently introduced Kittitian Rum Master course enables participants to visit island rum distilleries and make their own rum.
Events also abound, with June’s St. Kitt’s Music Festival having recently celebrated its 25th anniversary, and Carnival spanning two weeks at the end of December/beginning of January.
Cruising, of course, is a popular way to visit the islands, but Henderson says, of course the goal is to convert those day-trippers into future overnight guests.
“We’re really working to diversify our products,” says the minister. “And now, we have so much to offer.”
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