Tweet

After two years of the PM Dr. Terrance Drew administration, St. Kitts and Nevis is still struggling to match the impressive numbers in air visitor arrivals achieved in 2019 under the previous Dr. Hon. Timothy Harris led Team Unity administration. The Robert L. Bradshaw International Airport (RLB) recorded 163,453 air passenger arrivals in 2019, marking a significant 7% increase over the 153,340 arrivals in 2018. However, with just two months remaining in 2024, the figures for both 2023 and 2024 are still falling short of those pre-pandemic highs.

As of 2024, St. Kitts and Nevis has recorded 129,248 air passenger arrivals. Although this represents an increase from the 104,021 passengers in the same period of 2023, it is still significantly lower than the 2019 figure. The Drew administration, which took office in August 2022, has yet to reach the impressive pre-pandemic numbers under the leadership of the former Team Unity government.

The table below illustrates the comparison of air passenger arrivals in recent years:

Year	Air Passenger Arrivals
2019	163,453
2023	104,021
2024 (to date)	129,248

Despite the challenges, the Drew administration has made efforts to boost tourism and revitalize the economy. However, stakeholders and critics alike have expressed concern over the pace of recovery, with some questioning the effectiveness of ongoing initiatives and the overall strategy to bring air traffic back to pre-pandemic levels.

The tourism sector’s slow recovery is felt across many Caribbean nations, but some countries have seen faster rebounds in air passenger arrivals, raising questions about the effectiveness of the current administration’s tourism policies.

As St. Kitts and Nevis continues its journey to rebuild the tourism sector, only time will tell if the government can bridge the gap and reach the heights previously achieved by the Team Unity administration.