Revenue From Yachting Sector Can Exceed Revenue from Cruise Tourism
BASSETERRE (6TH November, 2015): The Ministry of Tourism will play a pivotal role to develop and implement a varied and high quality yachting sector.
Minister of Tourism, International Trade, Industry & Commerce The Hon. Lindsay F.P. Grant made that remark at the St. Kitts-Nevis Yachting Development Forum held earlier this week at the Ocean Terrace Inn.
This forum brought together stakeholders in the yachting sector of both St. Kitts and Nevis, to discuss challenges and opportunities related to the further development and growth of the yachting sector.
Minister Grant said the Ministry of Tourism in collaboration with the St. Kitts Tourism Authority will seek out yachting services that will create sustainable revenue for the country, offer opportunities for locals to invest, generate growth and provide careers where citizens can engage in decent work at livable wages.
“This event is in keeping with this Team Unity Government’s thrust to develop the yachting sector and bring increased revenue to the Federation,” Minister Grant said. “The development of the yachting sector will be pursued in such a manner so that the social, cultural, economic and environmental sustainability of our tourism is ensured. We are committed to working with the relevant ministries, agencies and private sector companies in St. Kitts and Nevis to achieve a vibrant and lucrative yachting industry.”
Minister Grant revealed that the Ministry of Tourism is seeking to strengthen its institutional capacity through the employment of a Yachting Liaison Officer whose function will be to build relationships with stakeholders and carry the Ministry’s developmental thrust forward as it relates to yachting.
“Cognizant of the challenge of poor data collection and collation for planning and decision making, we have just employed a Research Officer at the Ministry to overcome this weakness,” Minister Grant said.
Remarks were also made by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism, Carlene Henry-Morton, who pointed out that Federation is naturally positioned, to take full advantage of this yachting market, particularly since the Caribbean yachting grounds continue to be the second most popular in the world, and the close proximity to established yachting hubs such as Antigua, St. Maarten and St. Barths, and both St. Kitts and Nevis are blessed with several natural bays and shelters, clear crystal waters for diving and other water-sports.
“I am optimistic that Government’s thrust to develop a sustainable yachting industry as part of our broader tourism product and economic policy, is bearing fruit,” Mrs. Henry-Morton said.
“The fact that stakeholders from government, from the private and public sectors, are here today, collaborating, building consensus and planning strategy, the fact that we are seeing increased local and foreign direct investment in marinas, slips, berths and boat yard infrastructure, with well-defined plans for further expansion – this is recognition and acknowledgement of a rich resource that is coming of age, one which has immense value and potential as a catalyst for increased revenue generation; increased visitor arrivals, and increased overall awareness of the destination in the global tourism market.”
The St. Kitts-Nevis Yachting Forum also included two panel discussions on the state of yachting and the outlook of that sector in the Federation. Participants were also placed into groups to come with strategies on infrastructure development, marketing, security and the development of the human capital.
Statistics from the Business Research and Economic Advisor (BREA), which was engaged by the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA), show that during the 2014-’15 period cruise tourism generated US$84.3 million in direct revenue to St. Kitts. The Ministry of Tourism aims to have the revenue produced by the yachting sector exceed those of the cruise tourism in the next 10 years.
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