Dec 24 St. Kitts & Nevis Welcomes Inaugural Flight from Sun Country
Basseterre (22nd December ,2018) - Top officials from St. Kitts & Nevis welcomed the inaugural non-stop flight from Minneapolis to St. Kitts & Nevis by Sun Country Airlines (SY), which arrived at full capacity with a total of 126 passengers. The flight's arrival marks the first time the destination has been served from the upper Mid West region of the US.
"The upper Mid West is not only a hub for Sun Country, it is also a key source market in the United States that is home to a number of affluent residents," said the Hon. Lindsay F.P. Grant, Minister of Tourism, International Trade, Industry and Commerce. "Visitors from this very important and growing region will now find it much more convenient to reach our shores. This flight will help us continue growing our US arrivals from a number of new and existing geographic markets."
"We would like to extend our sincere thanks to the management team at Sun Country for the time and hard work they contributed to bring this service to fruition," said the Hon. Mark Brantley, Nevis Premier and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Aviation "It is gratifying that Sun Country has recognized the potential of St. Kitts & Nevis as an upscale destination for leisure travel."
The grand celebration welcoming the flight began immediately upon its arrival. As passengers disembarked, they were treated to a performance by traditional masquerades right on the tarmac and each arriving individual was given a welcome gift.
Assembling to greet the flight was an impressive official delegation befitting the historic significance of the occasion, including: the Prime Minister of St. Kitts & Nevis the Hon. Dr. Timothy Harris, the Hon. Lindsay F.P. Grant, Minister of Tourism, International Trade, Industry and Commerce; and the Hon. Mark Brantley, Nevis Premier and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Aviation.
The on-island delegation then proceeded to the KayanJet Lounge to continue the festivities, with Prime Minister Harris presenting special gifts to Sun Country commemorating the occasion of the airline's inaugural flight. Banners from destination provided a scenic backdrop throughout the remarks made by Prime Minister Harris and Minister Grant with a closing toast given by Minister Brantley.
The inaugural Sun Country flight SY 777 carried a total of 126 valued passengers into the destination, having operated the Boeing 737-700 aircraft utilized for the flight at full capacity. The flight will continue to operate for peak season non-stop on Saturdays to St. Kitts & Nevis' Robert L. Bradshaw international airport on St. Kitts (SKB) from the carrier's Minneapolis hub (MSP) through April 20, 2019, as follows:
Flight Depart Arrive
SY777 MSP 7:40am SKB 3:15pm
SY778 SKB 4:10pm MSP 8:30pm
Note: Flights are listed in local times and schedules are subject to change.
Source:
Nov 09 St. Kitts receives 'Commendable Destination Award'
BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - As part of its achievements in the tourism sector for 2018, St. Kitts received the 'Highly Commended' award in the Destination category of the Routes Americas 2018 Marketing Awards, as adjudged by the airline network planning community serving the Americas region.
The recognition took place in February and Minister of Tourism the Honourable Lindsay Grant said St. Kitts and Nevis continues to be recognized internationally.
"Our strategic airlift marketing to grow air service into the Federation from key target gateways has been recognized for excellence," Grant said. "As the smallest country in the western hemisphere, it is significant that we were shortlisted from among destinations with much larger marketing budgets, including Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc.; Charleston (South Carolina) Area CVB; Hawaii Tourism Authority; Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority; and San Diego Tourism Authority," Minister Grant added.
The annual Routes Marketing Awards Ceremony recognizes excellence in airport and destination marketing. They are highly regarded as the most prestigious awards in the aviation industry, as they are voted for and judged by the airline network planning community. Airlines voted for the marketing services that support the successful launch of new routes or the development of existing ones, and were instructed to vote for the organizations whose marketing efforts during the last twelve (12) months made a real impact on their future network development plans.
According to www.routesonline.com, St. Kitts as a destination is described as "intoxicating natural beauty, sunny skies, warm waters, and white sandy beaches." These qualities, the website says, "combine to make St. Kitts one of the most seductive spots in the Caribbean."
Source: http://www.thestkittsnevisobserver.com/travel/st-kitts-receives-commendable-destination-award/
Jun 13 St. Kitts welcomes Air Canada expanded service
BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS - For the first time in the island's history, Air Canada will serve St. Kitts for a full six months for the 2018-2019 peak season. The non-stop Saturday flights from Toronto will operate from November 3, 2018 all the way through April 27, 2019.
"This is an unprecedented air service expansion by Air Canada that marks yet another historic first for St. Kitts," said the Hon. Mr. Lindsay F.P. Grant, Minister of Tourism, International Trade, Industry and Commerce. "I could not be more pleased to welcome this additional flying, which expands the options for visitors and Diaspora from our key Canadian source market to get to island."
From November 3 through December 10, Air Canada will operate a 136-seat Airbus A319-100 Rouge aircraft with 124 economy class and 12 business class seats for the non-stop Saturday flights. From December 15, 2018 through April 27, 2019, Air Canada will operate a 200-seat Airbus A321-200 Rouge aircraft with 184 economy class and 16 business class seats for these flights.
"Air Canada's decision to expand service into St. Kitts is a testament to the strength of our growing tourism sector," said Racquel Brown, CEO of the St. Kitts Tourism Authority. "As our airlift from North America expands to accommodate our recently announced new hotel developments and upgrades to existing hotel product which include all-inclusive options, Canadians now have a full range of vacation choices available. This is truly is a complement to our existing North American airlift and gives us significantly increased capacity for this season and beyond."
Air Canada first began serving St. Kitts non-stop on Fridays in peak season from Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) in 2011 and subsequently shifted to Saturday service. It is the island's only non-stop scheduled service from Canada. In previous years, the flight operated from late December through early April. With the expanded service, St. Kitts will receive an additional 6 weeks of non-stop flying that provides the potential for an increase in Canadian air passenger arrivals.
Source: https://www.traveldailynews.com/post/st-kitts-welcomes-air-canada-expanded-service
Jul 20 St.Kitts World Famous Frigate Bay Strip to Get $7Million Upgrade
The World Famous Frigate Bay Strip will be undergoing major upgrades and enhancement shortly. That's according to Minister of Tourism Hon. Lindsay Grant.
Minister Grant mentioned the exciting new developments at the Frigate Bay Strip recently.
"The government considers that we have to do our part so we have just broken ground more or less not officially as yet but probably in the next month or so for the 7 million dollar infrastructure we are placing on the frigate bay strip in St. Kitts to enhance the tourism product," he informed.
Minister Grant said he expects plans will be put in place to "replenish and re-energize" the beaches in Frigate Bay and along the coastline which have been damaged by coastal erosion.
The Frigate Bay Strip is the hub of island nightlife, food and entertainment in the Federation. Bars and Restaurants such as Mr X' Shiggidy Shack, Vibes Bar and Grill, Boozies, Buddies, Inons', Breezes and the Docks are just some of the establishments currently housed at the strip.
The $7 Million upgrade will likely include a boardwalk, parking and amenities.
Source: http://timescaribbeanonline.com/st-kitts-world-famous-frigate-bay-strip-to-get-7million-upgrade/
Apr 24 St. Kitts Music Fest: First set of performers have been announced!
BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - ORGANISERS of the annual St. Kitts Music Festival have announced some of the artistes who will grace the stage for the 19th staging of the event from June 25-27.
Artistes such as Kerwin Du Bois, Benjai, Ricardo Drue and Patrice Roberts will perform on the opening night of the festival, which is dubbed 'the Jump Up Night', while the following night will see Reggae stars Christopher Martin and Bounty Killer.
Speaking at a press conference today (Apr.23), Music Festival Production Manager Adrian Lam, while announcing some of the artistes, indicated that the Music Festival has become a leading event in the Caribbean.
"The St. Kitts Music Festival has become one of the signature events not only in St. Kitts but the Caribbean in general. It is one of the longest running festivals in the Eastern Caribbean and of the top five in the Caribbean. It also remains one of the most affordable festivals in the region."
He stated that despite financial constraint the festival continues to put together a very good list of fine artistes.
"We still have some important contractual work with a few artistes although they have committed, so we will be announcing those who we have contracted as of today."
Lam disclosed that a social media campaign was embarked upon to ascertain which artiste the public would like to see perform at the festival.
Minister of Tourism Hon. Lindsay Grant stated that despite external challenges the festival continues to attract large followings.
"The Music Festival comes amidst the challenges of external forces such as increase in travel fares and high production and performance fees. Fortunately, the results and economic impact over the past two years have shown that the festival continues to attract followings from within the region and also from the continents."
He gave the Government's commitment to further improve the festival.
"We take immense pride in being the organisers of a world-class musical product that satisfies the musical tastes of all patrons. Our goal going forward is to continue to set higher standards of excellence and attract even larger followings celebrating an exuberant festival."
Grant also highlighted the significance of the Music Festival.
"True to its vision, the St. Kitts Music Festival has become a magnet in our tourism industry. It attracts visitors and returning nationals in the slow period. And now in its 19th year has become an integral component of our tourism product impacting positively on commercial activity and generating income which serves to stimulate the economy."
Music Festival Chairman Faron Lawrence promised that improvements would be made to this year's event.
"We will continue in the trend by making this year an improvement from last year. I am quite confident that, based on what we have in store, Music Festival will go to a next level.
"I must admit we have had some challenges this year; but I must hasten to say those are challenges we've had in the past... we have been just as late."
Source: http://www.sknvibes.com/news/newsdetails.cfm/91677
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