BASSETERRE (March 22, 2019): St. Kitts has been recognised internationally for being a leading nation for sustainability in travel and tourism. This is following leading UK publication, The Telegraph, featuring St. Kitts in an article on sustainable tourism and planning for the future.
The St. Kitts Sustainable Destination Council is a finalist in the Destination Stewardship Award category of the World Travel & Tourism Council’s ‘Tourism for Tomorrow Awards’. This accolade is recognition that St. Kitts is leading the way globally in sustainable destination management, and is strategically balancing the great economic benefits of tourism with the need to minimise any negative impacts on society, culture and environment.
The article applauds St. Kitts' proactive and future-led thinking, recognising that a sustainable tourism strategy is required following its exponential tourism growth between 2005 and 2015. It commends the establishment of the St. Kitts Sustainable Destination Council to identify a vision for the nation during a time of change and growth, to maximise long term development and evolution, and to safeguard St. Kitts’ unique tourism offering for years to come.
Minister of Tourism, The Hon. Lindsay F.P. Grant, said it is a tremendous achievement to be a finalist in the WTTC Tourism for Tomorrow Awards, and the island is extremely proud.
“It is indeed a great honour to be recognized alongside organisations pursuing leading practices in sustainable development,” Minister Grant said.
“The SDC facilitates partnerships and functional relationships among public and private sectors and all people in St. Kitts, to ensure that development in our destination preserves and benefits our environment, culture, heritage and community livelihoods. We hope this preservation will lead to long-term tourism growth and allow people to enjoy our beautiful island for many years to come”.
Carlene Henry-Morton, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism, said, “This recognition underscores our serious commitment to working with local, regional and international partners to keep the conversation going on this critical matter and to practising a wholesome, ‘pro-people pro-planet’ approach to Tourism. Posterity deserves nothing less.”
Grupo Rio da Prata, of Brazil, and Masungi Georeserve, of the Philippines, are also mentioned in the article for their efforts on sustainable tourism.
The Telegraph journalist wrote: “What Masungi, St Kitts and Rio da Prata show is that when tourism initiatives are managed well, and with a creative spark, they can be a tangible force for good for everyone – locals, tourists, governments, tortoises, cloud rats. And while a localised tourism scheme may seem like a drop in the ocean compared to the wider societal and environmental challenges that humanity faces today, the collective impact is vast. Like a cobweb threading itself to every corner of the planet, the movement for sustainable tourism is a deceptively powerful force.”
Permanent Secretary Henry-Morton and Assistant Secretary Diannille Taylor-Williams will attend the 19th WTTC Global Summit in Seville, Spain from 2–4 April 2019, where the winners of the 2019 Tourism for Tomorrow Awards will be announced.
The Telegraph is widely known as one of the world’s most reputable newspapers. It has an impressive daily print readership of over 360,000 and over 24.8 million monthly readers of its online platform telegraph.co.uk. The travel section of the website is where many travellers go to seek valuable, trusted information about destinations all over the world prior to planning a holiday – including St. Kitts.
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