BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – THE Federation’s first ever Annual Travel Agent Symposium kicked off last night (May 27) with a classy cocktail at the Diamond Cut Restaurant, welcoming over 40 travel agents from the United States and Canada – the largest group in this profession to visit the islands.
The contingent of frontline travel personnel arrived around 2:00 yesterday afternoon and was warmly welcomed by officials from the St. Kitts and Nevis Tourism Authorities, the joint organisers of the symposium. The event runs from May 27-31 and has a packed schedule for the North American travel agents including training workshops, networking sessions, inspection of various properties and an exploration of sister island Nevis, among other leisure activities.
The Minister of State responsible for Tourism, Senator Richard Skerritt briefly addressed the group, describing them as the “the most important group of travel agents” to visit the Federation. He acknowledged that the travel industry has been turbulent over the last two decades and applauded those companies which, through creative means, maintained viable businesses.
The visit, according to Skerritt, should be mutually beneficial as the agents would find opportunities to add to their revenue while the tourism products of both islands would gain much-needed exposure and ultimately more visitors.
“This is a buyer’s market and you have that requirement to make sure that you match value with opportunity. We believe we have that here in St. Kitts and Nevis because we think we have genuine Caribbean natural and man-made assets which your clients would want to experience,” Skerritt appealed to the excited agents.
Chief Executive Officer of the St. Kitts Tourism Authority Rosecita Jeffers told SKNVibes that although the agents have not experienced much of the destination, they are very pleased with the experience so far and are excited to explore the islands.
Jeffers noted that it is important for the agents to be educated on all aspects of the island’s tourism product. She stressed that the St. Kitts Tourism Authority was keen on making the visitor experience “well-coordinated” and “perfect”.
“We definitely do encourage them to give us feedback on their experience here, so if there are any loopholes that we need to improve on we can correct these. They are the ones selling our product and in direct contact with our market, and they would know what is expected out there,” Jeffers said.
Travel agents are expected to be awarded with certificates at the end of the symposium, which would make them specialised travel agents marketing the beauty, history and culture of the two Caribbean isles.
