Basseterre, St. Kitts (01 January 2023) – St. Kitts experienced extraordinary achievement and culturally infused festivities in December, ranging from global recognitions, influencer and marketing trips, buzzy cruise activity, and appreciation for its authentic Kittitian culture. As the curtains close in 2022, St. Kitts has successfully positioned itself as a leading Caribbean destination, building a solid presence across regional and global markets due to its comprehensive strategy to build brand awareness.
Influencer marketing is increasingly becoming a primary marketing tactic to build brand awareness. As such, the St. Kitts Tourism Authority successfully facilitated an influencer trip comprised of popular influencers from the US and UK, respectively.
“The Authority recognizes influencer marketing as a strong promotional tool fostering the ability to generate digital conversation by creating engaging and interactive content that can help to boost online conversations about St. Kitts. We continue to innovate our strategies to maximize consumer reach to solidify the destination as a household name,” remarked Mr. Ellison “Tommy” Thompson, Chief Executive Officer at the St. Kitts Tourism Authority.
The influencers shared their experiences on island by capturing content that depicts the authentic feel of Kittitian culture through cuisine, excursion tours, and its warm hospitality. Influencers who participated in this trip included:
Estare Areola (@estaregrams) – 335K followers on Instagram
Nicole Isaacs (@nicoleisaacs) – 312K followers on Instagram
Elona Karafin (@elona) – 179K followers on Instagram
Aytan Abbasali (@aytanabbasli) – 100K followers on Instagram
Fariha Choudhury (@dinewithfari) – 79.2K followers on Instagram
Louise Truman (@louisetruman) – 143.5K followers on TikTok
Further to the marketing and promotional efforts of the Authority, CEO, Mr. Ellison “Tommy” Thompson, and Deputy CEO, Mrs. Melnecia Marshall, recently attended Munaluchi Coterie Retreat in Jamaica which provided ample opportunity to promote St. Kitts as a romance destination while cultivating plans to venture deeper into the African American market.
In addition, the St. Kitts Tourism Authority’s Sales Representative, Southeast US, Allison Shultz, recently attended the Computerized Corporate Rate Association (CCRA) Agent Show in Atlanta, Georgia. This event afforded rich marketing opportunities for St. Kitts, as the destination was promoted to various CCRA travel advisors with a particular focus on romance, weddings, and large groups. The Agent Show also allowed for the promotion of extended stay-over options and cruise stop-overs.
St. Kitts continues to cement a reputation that exudes top-notch guest experiences for visitors, whether it be through its stunning attraction sites, adventure-driven experiences, rich history, or warm people. Owing to the destination’s strong commitment to preserving its authentic experience, St. Kitts has captured the title of the Caribbean’s Destination of The Year as per Caribbean Journal’s Travel Awards 2023 and Best Caribbean Hiking Destination as per Caribbean Journal Travelers’ Awards 2022.
The destination continues to attract attention in its source markets. According to one of the leading global media companies, FORBES Magazine, St. Kitts has been listed as a Top 5 Destination to keep on your radar in 2023.
The article can be viewed at the following link: https://bit.ly/3PViHn7
Further to advancing tourism in St. Kitts, the destination continues to see growth within the cruise sector. St. Kitts experienced a cumulative cruise pax of 116, 593 passengers, having welcomed 70 cruise ship calls in December. Notable mentions include the inaugural cruise calls of Azamara Onward and Silver Dawn.
“Cruise continues to be instrumental in our tourism industry. We are extremely proud of the buzzy cruise activity the destination has witnessed in December and since the onset of the 2022-2023 cruise season.
We are especially grateful to our dedicated team, and tourism stakeholders for their joint efforts in ensuring the quality of guest experience are duly maintained,” shared Mrs. Melnecia Marshall, Deputy CEO at the St. Kitts Tourism Authority.
As the destination celebrates its 51st edition of Sugar Mas, the Authority produced a “Folkore Video Series” that paid homage to various folklore groups that exemplify authentic Kittitian culture. The ongoing video series will depict various cultural art forms such as Masquerade, Actors, The Bull, Mocko Jumbies, and The Drums. The video series can be viewed on YouTube, Facebook, or Instagram @kittitianheartbeat.
Undoubtedly, St. Kitts has achieved incredible success in 2022.
The destination’s new brand campaign, “Venture Deeper” coupled with robust strategies to improve guest experience, stakeholder development, and the overall tourism product of St. Kitts, has assisted tremendously in securing numerous accolades. Notable mentions include:
Caribbean Leading Dive Destination – World Tourism Awards 2022
St. Kitts is the Buzziest Destination Right Now Feature – Caribbean Journal
Caribbean’s Overall Adventure Destination – Travel Weekly’s Silver Magellan Awards
Best Caribbean Beach Port – Porthole Cruise and Travel Reader’s Choice Awards
Notable Industry Player Feature – Travel Pulse
The Best Islands in the World Feature – Condé Nast 2022 Readers’ Choice Awards
Top 5 Destinations to keep on your radar in 2023 Feature – FORBES Magazine
Caribbean Destination of The Year – Caribbean Journal’s Travel Awards 2023
Tourism is the heart and soul of fostering growth and economic opportunities for the destination. As such, the Authority continues to focus on the continued diversification and development of the destination’s existing tourism product to remain competitive across all sectors within the broader industry, whether through expanding its partnerships with various cruise lines and airlines.
This will stimulate travel to the island, providing rich economic opportunities for the people of St. Kitts.
The future for tourism in St. Kitts for 2023 is undoubtedly bright!