London, UK, 7 October 2015: Tourism officials and partners from St. Kitts and Nevis have concluded their third Destination St. Kitts & Nevis Roadshow in the UK, a joint promotional drive which showcases the unique attractions of the destination to the UK market, ultimately to grow this market and drive visitors to the islands.
The week-long initiative from Sunday 27 to Friday 2 October, 2015 spanned London and the upmarket counties of Surrey and Chester; where tourism authority officials, hoteliers and destination management companies, led by the Hon. Lindsay Grant, Minister of Tourism, networked and conducted business with key members of the travel industry, members of the Barmy Army Golf and with high-profile UK media.
Minister Lindsay Grant, speaking at a special briefing session at the start of the week, offered his full support to the initiative, and said, “I fully support such a partnership that helps to grow this emerging market for the destination. The UK trade and media are essential to our tourism strategy to position these two beautiful islands as an unrivalled destination building on what we have achieved during the first two years. Later, as the week-long road show concludes, we hope to go away having secured new partnerships and developed new business.”
The week kicked off with well attended agent training events at Pennyhill Park, Surrey and in Chester, in the north of England, where agents learnt the key facts about the destination through a fun and educational Destination Bingo game and networking with stakeholders.
In Surrey and in Chester, a tour operator marketplace of day long meetings provided the platform for stakeholders to facilitate business with new and luxury tour operators who had not considered the destination previously or were looking to expand their portfolio.
Luxury tour operators from Chester included Worldwide Dream Villas, ITC, Elegant Resorts, Just Caribbean and The Lotus Group, while at Hampton Court 20 tour operators ranged from Tropical Sky to Turquoise Holidays, Q Holidays, Quintessentially Travel and A Golfing Experience, amongst others.
In London, a media networking event at the prestigious Travellers Club offered partners an opportunity to meet one-to-one and also network with a range of UK media representing the consumer and trade sectors, niche journalists, online travel sites, bloggers and freelance journalists.
Racquel Brown, CEO of the St. Kitts Tourism Authority said, “We are delighted to be back in the UK as part of this joint initiative to court the travel industry. As we emerge as a strong contender in the luxury travel market, the role of the UK travel trade has become hugely significant for us to achieve our goals. I was pleased to see such strength of support from stakeholders from both islands and good attendance at all events. We will continue with initiatives in the market to showcase the destination to consumers, press and trade throughout the year.”
Greg Phillip, CEO of the Nevis Tourism Authority, said “there has been an abundance of news and developments occurring on our two island destination and this last week was an appropriate time for us to tell the UK travel trade and media all the exciting details. Doing it jointly and in an interactive way is even more important, as together St. Kitts and Nevis is as unique a tandem as there is in Caribbean tourism. In short we are the ideal destination for UK travellers and are ready to welcome them. Our UK team is strong and committed and we are all thankful for the support and cooperation of all of our partners.”
Destination St. Kitts & Nevis will progress to a follow-up educational to St. Kitts and Nevis from October 10 to 14, 2015 to offer an opportunity for tour operators to experience the destination first hand and to familiarise themselves with the accommodation product and visitor experience crucial for the 2015/2016 season. Both islands will host 5 tour operators over a four to five-day period.
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