BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - THE Ministry of Tourism, in its bid to enhance the local tourism sector and draw more persons to the island, is pushing St. Kitts as the destination for sports tourism.
This was highlighted during the recent staging of the Southern Caribbean Challenge Marathon, which was held over in Frigate Bay.
The Public Relations Official at the St. Kitts Tourism Authority (SKTA), Saju N’Gala, posited that this is one of the ways that they are going to be drawing persons to the island, not only to compete but also to see what St. Kitts and Nevis has to offer.
Speaking with reporters at the recently-held event, N’Gala said the SKTA welcomes the marathoners and the organisers with open arms, as they would be spending monies in various areas of the economy.
“They are here enjoying what we have to offer, at the same time, they are relaxing. They are making purchases of local drinks and products, they are going around and doing little tours. So they are going to spend their money. And, that is what we at the St. Kitts Tourism Authority are all about.”
He noted that this is another form of tourism which sees people spending money to travel from island to island for various sporting events.
The Marathon, which was in its second year here in the Federation, was organised by Z Adventure and saw over 20 participants.
Organiser Ziyad Rahim, who is also the CEO and founder of Z Adventures, told reporters that the event sees the competitors running seven marathons across six countries on a one-week cruise vacation.
“We run one on each island and the seventh on the cruise ship...We cater for two clubs, which are the Marathon Globetrotters and the Marathon Country Club. The runners from these clubs take to as many countries as possible, and my company’s aim is to facilitate them in the cheapest possible way.”
Rahim said one of the competitors was making St. Kitts and Nevis his 128th destination participating in marathons, as marathoners from all around the world took part in the competition.
