Travel agents are being urged to sell St Kitts as a year-round destination and to encourage clients to venture further than the beach when on holiday.
The message came from the new chief executive of the St Kitts Tourism Authority, Kelly Fontenelle, who led a delegation to the UK to speak directly to agents and tour operators.
The Caribbean island is traditionally sold as a winter-sun holiday destination.
Fontenelle, who pledged to continue to invest heavily in UK travel trade events and fam trips in 2025, said: “We’re traditionally seen as a winter-sun destination, but we have plenty to entertain guests in our summer months, including the St Kitts Music Festival in June and Restaurant Week in July.”
She stressed the importance of the trade and encouraged more trips to experience the island’s history, culture and natural beauty.
“We want our visitors to journey beyond the beaches and ‘venture deeper’ into the heart of our island. It is here that they’ll discover our history, culture, heritage, natural beauty and the inimitable personality of our islanders,” she said.
She added: “As one of the smaller Caribbean islands, the trade is vitally important to St Kitts in driving tourism. Agents with specialist knowledge are invaluable in helping to match the right UK holidaymakers with our destination.”
The delegation from St Kitts made individual visits to a number of operators and agents during the UK visit, including Trailfinders, Sackville Travel, Dnata, Lotus Travel and Newmont Travel as well as a meeting with British Airways, which serves the island twice weekly, year-round.
One of the key parts of the visit was a dedicated trade event in Leeds, attended by 25 independent agents. It included a presentation on the latest tourism developments, networking and a prize draw to win bottles of Kittitian rum.
It follows a decision by the tourism authority to shift its focus on the trade, with quarterly in-person events with agents and operators instead of one annual trade roadshow. It has also increased the number of visits it makes to retail travel agencies and training via webinars.
So far this year, the tourist board has hosted 17 agents on fam trips. There are more than 4,000 UK agents registered to the My St Kitts Rewards programme and 1,500 registered to its online training programme.
Fontenelle added: “It was an honour to spend time with our valued trade partners, during my first visit to the UK since joining the St Kitts Tourism Authority.
“We will continue to invest heavily in UK trade events, incentives and training in 2025 and fam visits will remain key too. We want agents and operators to experience St. Kitts first-hand and fully immerse themselves in St. Kitts’ authentic side.”
St Kitts is accessed from the UK via twice weekly flights from London Gatwick with British Airways.
