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“Two-Great-Weekends-One Great Destination”
gets boost from Prime Minister Douglas
~~Adz:Left~~ BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS, FEBRUARY 28TH 2008 (CUOPM) – Kittitians and Nevisians living overseas and well as visitors and Caribbean nationals in the Diaspora have been invited to sample the twin-island Federation’s “Two-Great-Weekends-One-Great-Destination.”
Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism, Hon. Dr. Denzil L. Douglas said Delta Airline excellent fare for its scheduled weekly service from Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport to St. Kitts’ Robert L. Bradshaw International Airport was “well-timed to support the Federation’s “Two-Great-Weekends – One Great Destination” summer programme.
He said it was designed to attract visitors and nationals to St. Kitts for the 12th Annual St. Kitts Music Festival and to stay on the following week for the One-Day International Cricket Match between the West Indies and Australia at the Warner Park Cricket Stadium.
The 12th Annual St. Kitts Music Festival is set for June 26th to 28th; the 4th One-day International Australia vs the West Indies on June 4th and the 5th One-Day International on June 6th.
“There is no better time for the launch of this new service from Delta Airlines as it coincides with the 25th Anniversary of out Nation’s Independence from Great Britain,” said Prime Minister Douglas.
He said that the developments taking place in tourism are in keeping with the thrust of his governing St. Kitts-Nevis Labour Party to transform the traditional sugar-agriculture economy to one “much more exciting led by services and in particular tourism and hospitality services”
Prime Minister Douglas said his government’s vision is to create St. Kitts and Nevis as a high-end destination within the global travel market.
The Kitts Music Festival was initiated in 1996 by then Minister of Tourism and Culture, Hon. Dwyer Astaphan and since then has been a resounding success. There are several music festivals across the Caribbean, but none have leapt onto the world music scene as remarkably quickly as St. Kitts. Artists such as Kool & The Gang, Freddie Jackson, Chaka Khan, Maxi Priest, Cece Winans, Dennis Brown, Arturo Tappin, Earl Klugh, David Rudder and Hugh Masekela have appeared to large, appreciative audiences and provide a huge variety of tastes such as Jazz, Salsa, Meringue, Calypso, Soca, Gospel, R&B, Soul, Reggae and Dancehall.
Other artists have also made appearances over the years including Arrow, Nigel Lewis, Roy Cape Band, Krosfyah, Nu Vybes, Small Axe Band, Alison Hinds, Machel Montano, Crazy and The Lejah Band, King Konris, Queen Anastasia, Royaltiez Band, Pluto Shervington, Tessanne Chin, Richie Stephens, Lady Saw, Sean Paul, Jazzique, Maxi Priest, Ne-Yo, Michael Bolton, Big Boi, Wyclef Jean, Ashanti, Busta Rhymes, Black Stalin, T.O.K, Ludacris, Bamboo-B, Keshia Chante, John Holt, Lonnie Liston Smith, Kenny Rogers, Pieces of a Dream, Ronnie Laws and Atlantic Star; Grand Masters, Kenrick Georges & the Sugar Mill Bits & Pieces and Small Axe; Chanté Moore, Diblo Dibala & Matchatcha, Yellow Jackets, Surface 112, Burning Flames, Mr Vegas & Thugs Band, Caribbean Traffik Jam, DeAnna Wattley, Masud Sadiki, Carmella Lawrence, Nestor Torres, Take Six, Glen Washington, Yolanda Adams, K-Ci & JoJo, Nicole Ballosingh, Burning Spear, Shadow, Jacksoul, Denyse Plummer, Jaguar and James Ingram.
Visitors come from as far as the U.S.A., Canada, Europe as well as other islands in the Caribbean – make the St. Kitts Music Festival much more of a multi-national, multi-cultural event.
The event is now very much a family one with kids regularly accompanying adult fans. During the festival many visitors participate in rainforest tours, daytime visits to the sister island of Nevis, beach parties, horse back riding and a wide array of watersports before the evening's music program begins. The general atmosphere is so pleasant that many performing artists get to St. Kitts early and leave late.
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