The Caribbean isles celebrating Independence milestones
Fam trips are high on the agenda as St Kitts and Nevis marks 40 years of independence – we find out more from the destinations’ tourism officials. Plus packages for the Bahamas, which is celebrating 50 years.
This year the St Kitts Tourism Authority plans to host 40 UK agents on five fam trips as the destination celebrates 40 years of independence. This continuing investment in the trade builds on two series of UK roadshows last year, a November fam trip with seven participants, and a consumer campaign encouraging visitors to “Venture Deeper” to discover the soul-stirring experiences on offer across St Kitts and its sister island of Nevis.
“We’re firing on all cylinders,” says minister of tourism Marsha T Henderson about the St Kitts Tourism Authority’s trade activity.
“We’ll offer places via our training programme, stkittsspecialist.com. Fam trips are really beneficial for us,” she says. “Agents fall in love with the destination very quickly and become great ambassadors for us.”
The UK vies with Canada for second position in St Kitts’ list of top-performing overseas markets after the US, with exit surveys of UK visitors now showing the average length of stay has risen to nine days.
While the finer details of the programme to mark 40 years of independence are still being worked on, visitors can expect festivities to peak around Independence Day – 19 September.
Events that will come under the umbrella of celebrations include the Nevis to St Kitts Cross Channel Swim (26 March); St Kitts Music Festival (22-24 June); Nevis Mango Festival (30 June-2 July); and Nevis’s Culturama Day on 8 August, a public holiday, cultural festival and island-wide party.
Another compelling event is St Kitts-Nevis Restaurant Week (13-23 July) when culinary outlets feature special menus themed on a local ingredient at fixed prices.
“Travellers will be blown away by the variety of food, from our specialities of stewed saltfish, coconut dumplings and roasted breadfruit, to five-star dishes,” says St Kitts Tourism Authority chief executive Ellison “Tommy” Thompson.
A new “RumMaster” programme is designed to help visitors become better acquainted with an important part of Caribbean history. The three-hour activity visits Wingfield Estate, home of the Caribbean’s oldest surviving rum distillery, to learn about the theory of rum production, before moving on to Spice Mill on Cockleshell Bay where guests can blend and taste their own rum (from $150pp; visitstkitts.com).
Thompson adds: "This is just one of many upcoming opportunities where the destination will utilise local partnerships to market the island’s unique attributes. Furthermore, this programme truly sets us apart from other Caribbean destinations while preserving the Kittitian history of rum and its meaning to the culture."
St. Kitts can be reached from the UK via twice weekly (Wednesday & Saturday) direct flights from Gatwick with British Airways.
Celebrate 50 years of independence with the Bahamas
For cruise lovers
Attracting 3.7 million passengers a year, Nassau is one of the world’s most popular cruise destinations, with PortMiami, Port Everglades and Port Canaveral all within easy reach.
A new cruise port with a scheduled opening date of March will cement the fan favourite status of the Bahamas. The redevelopment brings to fruition a $300 million renovation project aimed at making Nassau one of the great waterfronts of the world. The addition of a sixth berth will enable the port to accommodate three Oasis-Class vessels at the same time, and a customer-centric layout will help passengers flow easily through the new terminal building into the vibrant downtown area.
Disney Cruise Line has a series of three-, four- and five-night Bahamian cruises from Miami or Port Canaveral, calling at Nassau and Disney’s own Castaway Cay.
Book it: A three-night Bahamas cruise on Disney Magic departing Miami on 8 September starts from £527pp. disneycruise.disney.go.com
For party people
Plant your clients in the heart of the action for Independence Day on 10 July, but make sure it’s somewhere that’s still an exclusive sanctuary. Rosewood Baha Mar offers just that.
With its proximity to Nassau, guests are well placed to enjoy the city’s cultural and artistic spirit and all the celebrations that spill out onto the streets when the island is in the mood to party. However, set within the Baha Mar resort destination, lining the pristine sands of Nassau’s Cable Beach, it offers plenty of peace and tranquility, alongside a dazzling array of amenities from a Jack Nicklaus-designed golf course to a beachfront water park and more than 40 different dining and nightlife options.
Book it: Inspiring Travel offers seven nights at Rosewood Baha Mar from £3,885pp, based on two sharing a Resort View King, room-only, including flights and transfers, departing 6 July. Offer price includes one free night. inspiringtravel.co.uk
For a perfect escape
Hidden away in the Bahamas, The Cove, Eleuthera feels like a private island you’d be lucky to stumble across.
Among its selling points are two white sand coves, ocean-front dining and a hilltop infinity pool. Guests this year will find the Freedom Restaurant has a new look, while rooms and villas have been redecorated, with all work completed during the hotel’s seasonal closure.
Guests can take boat excursions, tour the hotel’s organic garden or ride a bike to local attraction Glass Window Bridge, referred to as the “narrowest place on Earth”, where the Caribbean Sea meets the Atlantic Ocean.
Book it: Exsus offers seven nights at The Cove Eleuthera from £4,249 per person, based on two sharing a Garden View King on a room-only basis. Includes return Virgin Atlantic flights to Nassau and onwards with Southern Air to Governor’s Harbour. A taxi transfer is payable locally. Valid for travel 22 April-31 May, book by 28th February. exsus.com
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