BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, Mar. 16.2018 – THE Government is reporting that the tourism sector has seen increases in cruise and stay over arrivals for the months of January and February this year.
While addressing reporters on Wednesday (Mar. 14), Prime Minister Dr. Timothy Harris said that the St. Christopher Air and Sea Ports Authority (SCASP) had data showing figures of 25,744 persons arriving by air for January to February 2018.
He said that was a 9 percent increase or an addition of 2,059 over the same period last year.
For 2017, SCASPA recorded a total of 23,685 persons entering through the airport.
At the seaport, tourism officials saw an increase in cruise calls to St. Kitts during the period under review, and according to PM Harris, there were 163 calls, which was up 41 percent.
He pointed out that there were 116 calls to Port St. Kitts during the same period last year.
“Cruise passenger arrivals for the first two months are up 18 percent at 321, 800, versus 271, 829 arrivals recorded for the comparative period in 2017.”
The prime minister did not give a detailed breakdown of the individual month.
However, tourism officials were expecting an increase in tourist arrivals via the seaport, as the Tourism Authority informed that they had increases in new cruise calls to St. Kitts.
That was as a result of the hurricanes that damaged several ports in the Eastern Caribbean.
Cruise liners had to find alternative routes to facilitate the passengers with many diverting to Port Zante.
That has allowed tourism officials to project that they will achieve their 1 million passenger target.
