Cabinet officials, led by Prime Minister the Honourable Dr. Terrance Drew, along with officials from the Ministry of Tourism held an important dialogue with executives of Carnival Corporation aimed at strengthening the relationship between St. Kitts and Nevis, as a tourist destination, and the cruise line.
The meeting was held on Monday, November 14, 2022, at the St. Kitts Marriott Resort and featured participation from the President of P&O Cruises, Mr. Paul Ludlow; Marie McKenzie, Vice President of Government & Destination Affairs at Carnival Corporation & PLC; Giora Israel, Senior Advisor to the Senior Vice President of Strategic Operations; Charlene Drakes, Manager of Stakeholder Engagements for the Caribbean Region, and Odette McFarlane, Director of Home Port Operations at Carnival UK.
Prime Minister Dr. Drew, while delivering brief introductory remarks, told the visiting delegation that the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis continues to value and appreciate its partnership with cruise lines.
“We appreciate the value that the cruise sector brings to the overall tourism product. An average cruise visitor spends, as per the last BREA (Business Research & Economic Advisors) study, equates to US$135.94. The multiplier effect of such a spend has been and continues to be critical to the economic sustenance of our people. For example, in 2019, the pre-pandemic tourism accounted for at least 40 percent of our GDP,” the Prime Minister said.
The honourable Prime Minister gave the assurance that St. Kitts and Nevis, through the Ministry of Tourism, under the leadership of the Honourable Marsha Henderson, will continue to find innovative ways to enhance the visitor experience.
Dr. Drew said, “I can assure you that St. Kitts as a destination will continue its efforts to diversify its products through innovation and creativity. We understand that our visitors are seeking enriching, authentic experiences and it is our goal to deliver nothing less.”
The visit by the executives from Carnival Corporation came a week after St. Kitts and Nevis welcomed the inaugural call of Carnival Spirit to its shores on November 09, 2022.