Allegro’s 270-room Jack Tar Village, returned to business last week following an extensive refurbishment within its repairsprogramme.
All of Nevis’ hotels, many of them historic former sugar plantation houses, are also back in business.
When Hurricane Georges hit the Caribbean, St Kitts and Nevis’ new $22m cruise facility, Port Zante, and its redeveloped international airport, were also put out of action for a short while.
However, the twin-island state managed to put things in order quickly, avoiding any longer-term effects on its tourism business.
St Kitts and Nevis Tourist Board assistant UK manager Jennifer Hensley said: “Despite the damage we managed to get both our airport and cruise port operational very quickly and many of our hotels were up and running again within a month.”
The tourist board is now trying to make up the lost ground this year, a task that will be boosted by its first charter service from Manchester.
The flights, operated by First Choice, start this month and run fortnightly throughout the summer, primarily sending customers to the three-star Jack Tar Village.
The south of England will continue to be served by Caledonian’s weekly year-round Gatwick charter, while there are also regular connections via Antigua and San Juan. As well as assuring the trade and consumer that it’s business as usual, the tourist board’s promotion this year is aimed at publicising various annual events on the islands, such the St Kitts and Nevis International Music Festival in June.
Sports tourism will also come under the spotlight, particularly golfing holidays.
“We have two international golf courses, one at Frigate Bay on St Kitts and the world-famous Four Seasons on Nevis, and we plan to take agents to the islands this year to experience both our golf product and the international music festival,” said Hensley.
st kitts and Nevis
Location: St Kitts and Nevis lie in the northern part of the Leeward Islands in the eastern Caribbean. Nevis is two miles south of main island St Kitts and is reached by air or ferry across the Narrows Channel.
Language: English.
Time: GMT -4hrs.
Entry regulations: full British passport required. No visa is necessary.
Currency: Eastern Caribbean Dollar (EC$).
Flying time: 9hrs.
Climate: hot and tropical climate. The driest period is from January to April.
Hotels: there are about 31 hotels, the majority being on St Kitts, including Allegro’s Jack Tar Village. Nevis is well known for its heritage properties, many converted great houses and sugar mills on the old estates.
Self-catering: there are villas and apartments. A list is available from the tourist office.
Nightlife: very low key. Some hotels have live bands and dancing on Saturday nights and there is sometimes a disco. The Jack Tar Village has a casino, complete with slot machines, blackjack tables and roulette wheels.
Tour operators: a wide range of specialist operators feature the two islands, as well as one or two mass-market companies including First Choice.
Airlines: Caledonian flies nonstop once weekly from Gatwick. Regular British Airways’ connections via Antigua and San Juan.
Contact: St Kitts and Nevis Tourist Office, 10 Kensington Court, London W8 5DL. Tel: 0171-376 0881; fax: 0171-937 6742.