Visitor arrivals by air and sea is expected to top the half a million mark in 2009 and St. Kitts and Nevis could be welcoming close to a million cruise passengers within five years.Prime Minister Hon. Dr. Denzil L. Douglas the increase in tourism since his St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Government took office in July 1995 is evident as the entire country has reaped massive benefits from the dramatic increase in visitor arrivals that has resulted from the creative economic policies and relentless marketing campaign that is generating a discernable buzz   [ Read More... ]

FOLLOWING several months of Electoral Reform which started late December 2007, Supervisor of Elections Leroy Benjamin has expressed his satisfaction with the smooth flow of operation witnessed during the confirmation and registration periods. Benjamin told SKNVibes that registration has not stopped and will never stop, as it is an ongoing process. He said that all eligible individuals should be able to register at any time in order to exercise their rights to vote. Benjamin however made it clear that the  [ Read More... ]

The Premier of Nevis, the Hon. Joseph Parry and his Nevis Reformation Party (NRP) led Government will place greater emphasis in 2009 on ensuring that Nevis is less dependent on external economic forces. The NRP led government plans to accomplish this with Tax Collection, Investment in Agriculture, Geothermal energy resource, exploration and development. During the Premier’s 2009 New Year’s Message, he urged all Banking, Financial institutions and telecommunications companies on Nevis,  [ Read More... ]

RELATIVES of one of the men who recently went missing at sea are still clinging to the hope that he would return home safely. Fishermen Richard ‘Elmond’ Hodge of New Road Housing Extension, Joseph ‘Joe’ Chambers of Ponds Pasture and Julius Alcendor, a Dominican who resides at New Guinea, reportedly went out to sea on Christmas Eve 2008 on a conch diving expedition and have not been seen since. Local and international Coast Guard units have been combing the territorial and neighbouring waters in search of  [ Read More... ]

Virgin Holidays today announced the 2009 Virgin Holidays / CHTA EDUCATION FOUNDATION scholarship. Nationals from Virgin Holidays Caribbean destinations are eligible to apply for the scholarship that must be used towards a management-focused degree course that includes a Sustainable Tourism module. Ideally the degree will be in Sustainable Tourism, International Tourism or Hospitality and must begin in 2009.  [ Read More... ]

West Indies head coach John Dyson praised his players for their excellent showing in the victory over New Zealand in the second One-Day International at AMI Stadium, Christchurch on Saturday. After the Windies bowlers reduced the New Zealand batsmen, Man-of-the-Match Ramnaresh Sarwan and Vice Captain Denesh Ramdin pushed the team to 158-5 off 27.5 overs for a thrilling five-wicket victory and with a 1-0 lead in the five-match series. “I thought they played extremely well. Sarwan played a controlled innings and it was  [ Read More... ]

Ramnaresh Sarwan played a masterful knock to lead West Indies to a thrilling victory over New Zealand in the second One-Day International at AMI Stadium, Christchurch. Sarwan made 67 not out -- with a six and three boundaries from 65 balls -- after captain Chris Gayle made a robust 36 from 31 balls as the Windies reached 158-5 off 27.5 overs, to win by five wickets. The match was reduced to 28 overs per team due to heavy rain, hail and bad light.  [ Read More... ]

It was ‘whaling’ none stop at the ‘house in the middle of the street’ when thousands of revellers took to the streets of Basseterre on Friday afternoon to enjoy the remnants of the 2008/2009 Carnival Festivities. The event known as ‘Last Lap’, despite its late commencement, drew a massive crowd of Mas’ players comprising of clowns, mock-a-jumbies and general carnival lovers. Crowd favourites were Grand Masters and the Nu Vybes Band International which had sizable followings. It featured an array of colours as,  [ Read More... ]

POETS and poetry lovers were inspired last Saturday (Jan. 3) at the Peace and Levity Part II poetry reading held at the newly-opened The Lounge in the Sands Complex. Dubbed ‘Part Gemini’, the open ‘mic’ session provided an opportunity for the Federation’s poets to mingle with each other and to express their verses in front of an appreciative gathering. Although the event began an hour after its scheduled 7:00 p.m. start, the crowd’s spirits were not dampened and they remained receptive and encouraging to the words  [ Read More... ]

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER Brent Symonette has deemed the recent signing of an agreement between China and The Bahamas for assistance in the construction of a national stadium as a “continuation of the friendship” between the two countries. According to Caribbean Net News, Symonette revealed the grant facilitated by the signing amounted to $7.3M and that construction on the project would commence in early 2009. “The Bahamas and the People’s Republic of China has had diplomatic relationships  [ Read More... ]

OFFICIALS in Belize have announced that they would be taking further action to contain the spread of the highly contagious Newcastle poultry disease.According to Caribbean 360, the outbreak was first reported in November when the Belize Agricultural Health Authority (BAHA) revealed it had received confirmation from the United States Department of Agriculture Laboratory that poultry specimens submitted from Belize had tested positive for the disease.  [ Read More... ]

THE recently elected Governor of Puerto Rico, Luis Fortuño was sworn into office Friday (Jan. 2) and said that under his leadership the U.S. territory would enter a new era of rebuilding and prosperity. “The time has come to take lessons from the past and face the future, and today we are one people, ready to stand up to one of the most difficult situations of our lives. The task won't be easy, but together we can create a better Puerto Rico,” the new Governor said during his speech at the swearing in ceremony.  [ Read More... ]

Trinidad and Tobago moved into 2009 coming off a record-breaking murder toll of 550 in 2008 and residents have expressed that they are now living in fear. The death of 27-year-old Aaron Deyal of Siparia Hill, East Dry River pushed the figure to 550 after he was shot at Thornhill, Gonzales on Wednesday (Dec. 31) night. Reportedly, shots were heard in the area at about 9 p.m. and after police arrived on the scene they found Deyal with multiple gunshot wounds about the body. He later succumbed to injuries at the  [ Read More... ]

A blanket of mourning covers the nation after the death of 21-year-old sporting icon Jizelle Salandy who died at about 7.a.m. yesterday (Jan . 4) in car accident occurring at the National Petroleum flyover.Salandy was traveling West on Beetham Highway after dropping a friend off at the Piarco International Airport Sunday morning when she allegedly attempted to overtake another vehicle, lost control of her black Toyota Yaris and slammed into a concrete pillar.  [ Read More... ]

The quintessence of Ms. Donella Dias is captured in the unique blend of her charisma, intelligence, poise and wit. Born on May 20th 1984 to Daniel O’Garro and Shirley Dias, this Kittitian beauty has cherished her family life, having had the pleasure of growing up in a large family, with seven (7) brothers and six (6) sisters.