St Kitts Tourism Authority has hailed the role of travel agents for helping to boost UK visitor numbers, as it plans to hold two trade roadshows later this month.
Monthly arrivals from the UK to St Kitts have been up by an average of 38% on 2022.
The tourist board will hold the roadshows in Minster Mill, Oxfordshire (November 14), and Norton Park Hotel, Winchester (November 15), in partnership with Nevis Tourism Authority.
The events include a networking session, dinner, presentations about tourism developments on the dual-island nation and updates from hotel representatives.
The St Kitts Tourism Authority delegation will also be holding meetings on November 13 and November 16.
More: St Kitts ramps up UK trade activity with fam trips and training
The delegation from St Kitts will include Ellison ‘Tommy’ Thompson, chief executive; Melnecia Marshall, deputy chief executive; Ermelin Sebastian–Duggins, chairperson; and Lisa Elmes-Bosshard, UK marketing consultant.
The roadshows round off a year of activity with the UK travel trade featured a ‘Lunch and Learn’ programme for homeworkers; monthly coffee mornings around the country; virtual and in-person training sessions for tour operator frontline sales teams; and a schedule of fam trips, which saw 40 agents visit the islands to celebrate the 40th anniversary of St Kitts and Nevis’ independence.
This year also saw a major refresh of the St Kitts Tourism Authority’s website, with a new, dedicated section for travel agents.
Thompson said: “We’re delighted to be rounding off a busy and successful year with a visit to the UK to meet our valued trade partners.
“As one of the smaller Caribbean islands, the trade is vitally important to St Kitts in driving tourism.
“With visitation from the UK significantly up versus 2022, our efforts in the UK market this year are clearly paying dividend and that’s, in no small way, thanks to the passion that our trade partners here have for St Kitts as a destination.”
St Kitts can be reached from the UK via twice-weekly flights from Gatwick with British Airways.