NIA CHARLESTOWN NEVIS (November 24, 2020) — The Nevis Ministry of Tourism on Friday, November 20, 2020, hosted a team of more than 30 staff members from the Ministry of Tourism on St. Kitts on a day trip experiencing historical and cultural sites around the island.
Nevis Premier, Hon. Mark Brantley, and Minister of Tourism welcomed Hon. Lindsay Grant, St. Kitts Minister of Tourism and his team to Nevis. He lauded the effort of inter-island cooperation.
“I think this is an excellent initiative put together by the two Ministries where the entire team from St. Kitts has come to Nevis for an immersion, to see all of things Nevis has to offer in terms of tourism, and we intend to return that compliment by going to St. Kitts sometime in the future to see all that St. Kitts has to offer,” he said.
The premier noted the importance of tourism stakeholders on each island being familiar with what they have to offer with respect to their unique tourism product.
“We are two islands, one paradise, as we like to say. The idea really is to showcase the entire country and to encourage our people to enjoy all that’s available, and encourage our visitors to enjoy all that is available.
“St. Kitts and Nevis is unique. We’re only two miles apart, and so that allows us to vacation on one and see both. Whether you choose to stay on St. Kitts or stay on Nevis, the entire country is available to you,” he said.
Hon. Grant expressed his appreciation for the opportunity for the St. Kitts team to tour Nevis for a better understanding of what Nevis has to offer its visitors. He said mutual exchange of experiences on St. Kitts and Nevis could only benefit the country’s overall tourism marketing.
“I think it is very important for us to immerse in Nevis and for Nevis to immerse in St. Kitts, because we can’t sell our story unless we know our story. We’ve been to various sites, did an island tour, ensuring that each and every member of the team understands the concept of tourism between St. Kitts and Nevis.
“I think it augurs well, and I hope we continue to cooperate as we have been cooperating and as we tell the story, because I’m always convinced that we can’t sell Nevis without St. Kitts and vice versa, and the more we twin our islands to regional and international travellers, the much more beneficial it will be to us at the end of the day,” he said.
As part of the tour, Minister Grant and his staff enjoyed a traditional meal of cornmeal with okra and mackerel, and bread with red butter baked in an old-time box oven at the Nevisian Heritage Village in Fothergill’s Estate, Gingerland.
Ms. Patricia Thompson who is in charge of the Nevisian Heritage Village and her staff demonstrated some old-fashioned Nevisian cooking techniques for the group.
The tour also included a visit to the Museum of Nevis History, Fort Charles, Bath Stream, Cottle Church, and the Artisan Village at Pinney’s.
As part of the day’s activities the group participated in a professional development session where they learned about the history of Nevis, Nevis as a tourism destination, and professional work ethics.
Mr. John Hanley, Permanent Secretary in the Nevis Ministry of Tourism informed that a team from Nevis would undertake a similar visit to St. Kitts later in November.