BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – THE Federal Minister of Tourism, Hon. Lindsay Grant, is assuring the nation that the recent advisories issued by the United States and Canada on their nationals travelling to Zika-affect countries in the Caribbean, Latin and South America have not caused a falloff in arrivals to St. Kitts and Nevis.
Speaking with SKNVibes, Minister Grant explained that the region depends heavily on tourism as its main source of revenue and the advisory would have a major impact on it.
“I would hope that the advisory is lifted soon because the Caribbean relies heavily on tourism and so we can’t afford to be affected by that, because it will affect all the economies across the region.”
Recent reports published by several regional and international media agencies have indicated a fall in tourist arrivals to the region since many of them began cancelling their flights and cruise arrangements.
Asked if St. Kitts and Nevis has seen any falloff in visitor arrivals since the advisories were issued, Minister Grant indicated that there has been no change.
“We have not seen from our standpoint any significant impact from that and nobody has brought any of that to my attention. For us, we have been spared, unlike some other countries that have seen in terms of the falloff in visitor arrivals. We have been steady in terms of our numbers and our projections.”
He however noted that his Ministry is still concerned about the virus being found in neighbouring islands.
“Yes we are concerned, because whatever happens with our neighbour affect you...and yes we are very concerned. We are in a position where we are watching and seeing what happens.”
Currently, there is no recorded case of the virus in the Federation. There are however over 3,000 confirmed cases in the Caribbean and South and Latin America with another 400,000 suspected cases in Africa.
The virus is spread by the aedes aegypti mosquito with symptoms such as fever, rash, joint pain, or conjunctivitis (red eyes), according to the Center for Disease Control (CDC).
The CDC also indicated that other symptoms are headache and muscle pain.
The CDC recommends that persons with the virus must get plenty of rest, drink fluids to prevent dehydration, take medicine such as acetaminophen (Tylenol®) to relieve fever and pain, and that they must not take aspirin and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
