Basseterre, St. Kitts (February 15, 2016) – The St. Kitts Tourism Authority today announces its official marketing partnership with National Golf Course Owners Association Canada (NGCOA Canada). The collaboration will allow St. Kitts to leverage NGCOA Canada as a marketing platform to engage with the millions of Canadians playing golf across the country and position the twin-island Federation as a premier leisure destination.
There are approximately 5.7 million Canadian golfers who play roughly 70 million rounds of golf annually. They account for more than 1 million golf related trips per year, and are responsible for $15.6 billion in direct spending – $4.6 billion of which is spent on golf related travel and on-course spending outside of the country.
Over the course of the multi-year relationship, St. Kitts will work with NGCOA Canada to leverage the Association’s network of over 1,200 member courses, directly connecting with this highly influential and valuable group of travelers, while solidifying St. Kitts as a top-of-mind, preferred destination for Canadians’ golf and leisure travel.
The partnership’s core programming will be St. Kitts-sponsored “Club Nights” at select, targeted NGCOA Canada member facilities. Typically the most attended day at a golf course in any given week, integrating via “Club Nights” provides the St. Kitts Tourism Authority with a captive audience to build both brand awareness and directly educate consumers on the destination’s world-class golf and hotel properties. The partnership will kick off this spring with over 40 event integrations planned for the 2016 golf season.
“The Canadian passion for golf, and especially golf travel, is very significant to St. Kitts and a key driver behind our partnership with the Association,” said the Hon. Lindsay F.P. Grant, Minister of Tourism, International Trade, Industry and Commerce. “With two championship courses, another in its final phase of construction and grow in, and the fourth now carved into the landscape, St. Kitts as a destination offers an amazing golf experience: designer courses surrounded by beautiful warm Caribbean sightlines and world class resorts.”
Intoxicating natural beauty, sunny skies, warm waters, and white sandy beaches combine to make St. Kitts & Nevis one of the most seductive spots in the Caribbean. From the tee, look east toward an endless sea. To the north, a dormant volcano is coated with a rich coat of tropical foliage. Few sounds permeate the setting, save for the soft rush of the perpetual surf. This is the sport of golf on St. Kitts. Whether it be Royal St. Kitts Golf Club at Frigate Bay, Irie Fields at Kittitian Hill, the stunning Robert Trent Jones II Golf Club at Four Seasons Resort Nevis or the soon to be opened Christophe Harbour Golf Club, golfers will find St. Kitts incredibly satisfying on all levels.
“The NGCOA Canada is a forward-looking association that prides itself on delivering exceptional value to our members. Our partnership with the St. Kitts Tourism Authority will create sponsorship opportunities for our members, enhance the consumer golf experience, and help build awareness for St. Kitts & Nevis as a world-class golf vacation destination. This partnership is a true WIN for our members, St. Kitts & Nevis, and the NGCOA Canada,” says Jeff Calderwood, CEO, NGCOA Canada.
The partnership stems from the integrated marketing platform developed for the NGCOA Canada by SportBox Entertainment Group, the Association’s agency of record for strategic partnerships. With the volume and purchasing power of Canadians playing golf at clubs across the country, SportBox Group and the NGCOA Canada embarked on a strategic relationship, building a framework that would provide brands with opportunities to directly connect with targeted audiences.
“The NGCOA [Canada] provides customized, scalable coast-to-coast access to 6 million Canadians that contribute over $15 billion in direct spending – that is a highly sought-after consumer for almost any brand,” said David Corelli, Chief Strategy Officer, SportBox Group. “This marketing vehicle provides an uncluttered and direct channel for brands, such as St. Kitts, to engage with a demographic that have a high propensity to spend in many consumer categories.”
About NGCOA Canada
The National Golf Course Owners Association Canada is a not-for-profit trade association, owned and governed by its memberships, providing support to Canadian golf course operators and related stakeholders, presenting one united voice within the golf course industry. The NGCOA Canada acts as an advocate and educator for golf course owners across Canada and provides several benefits, resources and events that create awareness and generate support for its membership.
About SportBox Entertainment Group
SportBox Entertainment Group is an international sport, lifestyle, and entertainment management and marketing agency, with business verticals in strategic consulting, personality representation, and event creation and representation. For more information, visit www.sportboxgroup.com
About St. Kitts
St. Kitts is currently ranked, with sister island Nevis, at #6 on a list of the Best Islands in the World, #6 on a list of the Best Caribbean Vacations, and #4 on a list of the Best Beach Honeymoon Destinations in the World, #3 on a list of Best Caribbean Honeymoons, and #10 on a list of the Best Affordable Caribbean Destinations by US News & World Report. It is also ranked at #7 among the Hottest Places to Travel this Winter by CNN Money based on bookings received by Virtuoso, #8 on a list of the Top 10 Best Islands for a Holiday by Places To See In Your Lifetime, #14 on a list of the 50 Travel Destinations That Will Be Huge In The Next 10 Yearsas well as #8 on a list of the 25 Best Caribbean Islands by Business Insider, one of the Top 12 Best Caribbean Vacations on FlipKey.com, the vacation rental company of leading travel website, TripAdvisor®. In 2016, St. Kitts has been ranked #15 of The Top 21 Destinations for 2016 by Robb Report and one of the Ones to Watch in 2016 by Travel Weekly. St. Kitts & Nevis has also been named one of the Top 15 Emerging Travel Hotspots for 2015by The Huffington Post and has been ranked by The New York Times at #34 of the 52 Places to Go in 2015.
Located in the northern Leeward Islands of the Caribbean, it offers a diverse tourism product developed from the destination’s natural beauty, cultural heritage and rich history. The island’s stunning variety of tourism attractions include hiking through the tropical rainforest, riding the scenic railway that connects the island’s former sugar plantations, visiting the Caribelle Batik factory, and touring Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park, the only man-made UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Eastern Caribbean. Among the more traditional vacation pastimes available are watersports, golf, shopping, tennis, dining, gaming at St. Kitts’ exclusive casino or simply relaxing on a sandy beach. Accommodations range from intimate plantation inns to larger hotels and resorts.
For more information about St. Kitts, please contact the St. Kitts Tourism Authority toll free from the US at 1-800-582-6208 or from Canada 1-888-395-4887, e-mail info@stkittstourism.kn, visit www.stkittstourism.kn, or connect on Facebook, Twitter and/or YouTube.