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Basseterre, St. Kitts, February 22, 2018 (SKNIS): The Ministry of Tourism has been buzzing with good news for the 2017 – 2018 tourism season. At a special sitting of National Assembly to commemorate the 3^rd Anniversary of the Team Unity Government on February 21, Minister of Tourism, the Honourable Lindsay Grant, shared the good news of his ministry.

Minister Grant commended the Ministry of Tourism and the St. Kitts Tourism Authority for their stellar work that led to various accolades in the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis received over the past year and early 2018.

“It is important for us to understand in St. Kitts and Nevis that under this government something good is happening,” said Minister Grant, as he noted that the federation has been named among the “22 Hotspots of Where to go in 2018” by Bloomberg Pursuits and listed as one of the “Top 21 Places to Travel in 2018” by the Robb Report.

St. Kitts and Nevis has also been named one of the best destinations in the Caribbean to watch for 2018 by travel agents and also recognized as one of the best 18 Caribbean Destinations to Visit in 2018. He also noted that the newly opened Park Hyatt St. Kitts – Christophe Habour has been named number one of the “14 Best New Caribbean Hotels.”

Minister Grant said that there was a substantial increase in stay-overs in 2017 from 115,000 in previous years to approximately 140,000, despite the 2017 Hurricane Season with Hurricanes’ Irma and Maria.

“The increase was driven in part by marked improvements in our American Airlines Flight out of JFK and Miami in the latter half of 2017,” he added.

There has also been an addition of a Delta Airlines direct flight from Atlanta to St. Kitts that was started in December 2017.

He also highlighted an increase in cruise ship passengers coming to the federation since the change of government in 2015.  He noted that the federation welcomed over 1 million cruise passengers from 2015 to present.

Additionally, Minister Grant lauded the St. Kitts Tourism Authority for receiving the Routes Americas Marketing Award for 2018 for Excellence in Destination Marketing.