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St.Kitts-Nevis Cruise Tourism is back and although they are still way short of Pre-COVID  numbers the destination is certainly off to a phenomenal start. Exceptional leadership by the Team Unity government has resulted in maybe the most vibrant Restart of a cruise industry among destinations in the Caribbean. Leading the country’s overal recovery continues to be Prime Minister Dr. Hon. Timothy Harris. His superb leadership continues to move the twin island federation positively and progressively forward . Equally superb leadership by Hon. Lindsay Grant in Tourism has ensured that the cruise industry has, in short order,   regained  its vibrancy. Minister Grant has very  ably led the charge of Tourism in St.Kitts-Nevis to unprecedented successes over the last 6 years.

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In the last 18 months since COVID Minister Grant along with the Ministry of Tourism and the Tourism Authority undertook a  very particular well thought out  programme  with a view to getting back to this point  as safely, efficiently and effectively as possible.

Below is an outline of what was termed as the Travel Approved Programme which has led to the vibrant reopening of the cruise industry in particular in St.Kitts-Nevis .

•   Programme began July 2020.

•   Facilitated by the St. Kitts Tourism Authority and Ministry of Health

•   To date we have trained 3,927 individuals

Meetings & Sessions – Preparation to Restart Tourism in General and the Cruise Sector

Vaccine Awareness Sessions – March – April

• Various stakeholders – Hoteliers, Partnering Agencies- UDC & SCASPA, Hoteliers & Restaurants and Bars, Vendors.

Stakeholder Meetings

•   23rd March – Cruise Stakeholder Meeting

•   24th  March – General Stakeholder Meeting

•   23rd April – Meetings with Cruise Lines

•   29th  April – Meeting with Taxi Presidents

•   27th  April – Cruise Protocols Meeting

•   28th  May – Ministers of Tourism Cruise Meeting

•   12th  May – Taxi Fraternity Meeting

•   3rd June – Cruise Line Meetings

•   4th  June – Cruise Line Meetings

•   7th  June – Cruise Restart Meeting – Local Agencies- SCASPA, SKTA

•   9th  June – Port Zante Walkthrough

•   10th  June – Stakeholder Meeting

•   22nd June – COVID-19 task force meeting

•   July 3rd- Meeting with COVID-19 Task force to revise cruise protocols

•   July 13th  – Meeting to discuss cruise protocols

•   July 19th  – Travel Approved Taxi Operators

•   July 20th  – Cruise Stakeholder Meeting

•   4th  August – Meeting with Taxi Presidents

•   9th  August- Meeting with Taxi Operators and Luggage Handlers

•   26th  August – Meetings with Travel Approved Operators, Tour Operators and Port Zante

Merchants.

•   6th  September- Tour Operators, Taxi Operators Meetings

Press Conferences to further sensitize the Federation

•   6th  September

•   14th  October

•   27th  October

•   19th  November

Inaugural Calls

Inaugurals: 2021-2022 season

Viking Orion – Viking Cruise Line- 25th  October 2021

Celebrity Apex – Celebrity Cruises – 10th  November 2021

Aida Perla – AIDA – 16th  November 2021

Enchanted Princess- Princess Cruises – 23rd November 2021

Seabourn Ovation – 25th  November 2021

MSC Seaview – 11th  December 2021

Sky Princess – 22nd December 2021

Nieuw Statendam – 19th  January 2021

•   5 calls inaugural calls have gone to date and 3 more are remaining.

Key Cruise Days

22nd July – Return of first cruise to St. Kitts since March 2020- Seabourn Odyssey

25th  October- First Inaugural Call – Viking Orion

10th  November – First 3 ship days

24th  November- Largest number of passengers to arrive on one vessel – Harmony of the Seas-  6,159.

7th  December – 4 ships in St. Kitts – first day

16th  December – first 5 ship day.

Cruise Arrivals Dates             # of Calls                     Total Passengers

July                                                2                                       236

August                                           4                                       299

September                                     6                                     1,763

October                                          8                                     2,373

November                                     32                                   41,662

Total                                               52                                   46,333

As at 30th November 2021.

These are the numbers and it shows a very specific path to where the country is now. The country’s overall Leadership as well as that of Hon. Lindsay Grant in Tourism must be highly commended for their return to a vibrant cruise sector.