TORONTO — A revamped travel advisor specialist program, a new cannabis tour, and even the island’s first-ever all-inclusive resort? St. Kitts has certainly been busy, to say the least.

Speaking with Travelweek during a recent visit to Toronto, Minister of Tourism, Civil Aviation, International Transport, Employment and Labour, and Urban Development Marsha Tamika Henderson, and newly-appointed CEO of the St. Kitts Tourism Authority (SKTA) Kelly Fontenelle, alluded to all this and more amid increasing travel demand from Canada. Following a 66% increase in capacity last year due to an additional Air Canada flight from Toronto (for a total of two per week from November 2023 to April 2024), St. Kitts is “pacing very well” for 2024, on track to surpass the 5,400 Canadian stayovers it recorded in 2023.  

Images are owned by Liamuiga Natural Farms

“We met with Air Canada Vacations earlier this week and got some good news,” said Minister Henderson. “We performed exceptionally well on the Air Canada route last season and received good reviews from visitors. In terms of the demand they’re seeing, we’re already loaded for the upcoming season.”

When asked whether Air Canada will be bringing back an additional flight for this winter, the Minister said she’s hopeful.

“From the statistics we have, it seems as if demand is up already, and they may very well add – if not an additional flight – a bigger aircraft,” she added. 

An additional flight will bode very well for the dual-island nation (Nevis is just a six-minute ferry ride from St. Kitts) as it looks to showcase more than just its romance offerings. Following last year’s partnership with Canadian romance expert Alison McGill, St. Kitts is now shining the spotlight on its many wellness and culinary options to appeal to Canadians specifically.

“We know that Canada is a big culinary market – we saw this just by searching for food options here last night,” said Fontenelle. “Canadians are big foodies and we want to let them know that we have a thriving culinary scene. And this goes hand in hand with our wellness product, which includes the Belle Mont Sanctuary Resort and its amazing accommodations, and Liamuiga Natural Farm, a new attraction where you can pick what you want to eat from the garden.”

Fontenelle also added that in an effort to make St. Kitts a year-round destination, the island has been hard at work opening and enhancing attractions and offerings that visitors can enjoy beyond the popular winter months. These include St. Kitts Eco Park, which combines agriculture, green energy and tourism, the Kittitian RumMaster program, a three-hour tour that includes snacks, lunch, distillery visits and a certificate upon completion, the St. Kitts Music Festival in June, and Restaurant Week in July. And, according to Minister Henderson, the St. Kitts Tourism Authority is working with stakeholders on a new “controversial” venture – cannabis tourism. 

“It will focus more on the wellness aspect of the plant and its benefits, and we have a dedicated space that we’re hoping to roll out, which will also include teas, oils and more,” said the Minister. 

As for new hotel developments, the Minister also confirmed a new five-star property on the southeast peninsula, close to the Frigate Bay area, breaking ground in mid-2025 and opening possibly in 2027. “I can’t tell you the name of the brand just yet, but we met with the government two months ago and they revealed the design concept. I can tell you that it will be a beautiful resort,” she said. 

Celebrating in St. Kitts

What the Minister also knows for sure is that the new hotel will not be an all-inclusive, something that St. Kitts has none of – yet. But its first-ever all-inclusive resort is no longer just a pipe dream for travel advisors and their clients.

“That’s a discussion that we had with our partners at Air Canada Vacations yesterday, and we are in early discussions with a developer for an all-inclusive hotel. Though I can’t share anything more than that, I can tell you that we’re in the early stages,” said the Minister.  

With so much in the pipeline, Fontenelle, who was appointed CEO of the St. Kits Tourism Authority in July, is putting travel advisor outreach and education at the very top of her agenda. Knowing the valuable role they play in the travel ecosystem, Fontenelle said that not enough focus has been put so far on educating advisors, which hopefully will change now with her at the reins.

“I want to get more travel advisors educated about the destination and to increase consumer awareness as well, because once consumers are aware about what St. Kitts has to offer, they will be turning to travel advisors. It’s imperative that they have the knowledge to sell our destination,” said Fontenelle. 

Education, she added, will be done by way of more webinars (“At least one webinar a week with one of our partners”), live sessions on social media platforms like Facebook, as well as fam trips (“We’ll try to do at least one destination SKTA fam trip each year”). SKTA is also getting ready to launch its travel agent specialist program next month, which has been revamped from a previous version two years ago. 

And to make sure that travel advisors get the most out of their next visit to the island, Fontenelle also encourages them to take advantage of the SKY (St. Kitts Yourway) travel agent program. Running until Dec. 15, 2024, SKY includes various rewards and discounted rates for hotels, attractions and restaurants, just for advisors. 

“We want travel advisors to experience the island fully because many of them tell us they’ve been to St. Kitts on a cruise for a couple of hours, or what not. But we want them to stay longer and really discover what makes St. Kitts so special,” said Fontenelle.