St. Kitts wraps up UK travel trade week

The St. Kitts Tourism Authority (SKTA) recently completed a week-long visit to engage with the UK travel trade.

The goal was to elevate agent engagement and drive bookings to the Caribbean’s sugar-isle.

Led by Jonette Boyd, SKTA Marketing and Communications Manager, the visit began with Unite Caribbean in London on 10 March, where SKTA held individual meetings with 21 UK tour operators, followed by Caribbean by the Coast in Bexhill-on-Sea, on 11 March.

It culminated in a dedicated travel agent event, coordinated by St. Kitts in partnership with Nevis Tourism Authority, on 13 March.

Jonette Boyd was joined by Suzy Trott, UK Trade Sales Representative for St. Kitts Tourism Authority, and Cari Abonador-Alexander, Director of Sales and Marketing for Park Hyatt St. Kitts.

It also included individual webinars and visits to tour operators and travel agents, including Travel Bag and Audley Travel.

St. Kitts sponsored the pre-dinner canapes and cocktails at the Caribbean by the Coast event and served Kittitian rum-based cocktails to more than 30 travel agent guests.

As part of a business card prize draw, St. Kitts Tourism Authority gave away a place on an upcoming four-night travel agent Fam trip to the island, which was won by Penny Brown of Godalming Travel.

The dedicated travel agent event, held at The Ivy Chelsea Garden, in London, was attended by 25 independent travel agencies and homeworkers and was the first in a series of quarterly trade events that St. Kitts Tourism Authority will hold, in partnership with Nevis Tourism Authority, this year.

The evening comprised networking over drinks and bowl food, presentations from St. Kitts and Nevis, and a prize draw.

Megan Harris from Travel Republic won a place on an upcoming St. Kitts Tourism Authority Fam and Laverne Walker from Sackville Travel won a bottle of spiced Kittitian rum, as part of the prize draw.

Kelly Fontenelle, CEO of the St. Kitts Tourism Authority, said: “Last year, we shifted our trade focus from one annual trade roadshow to a series of quarterly in-person events with travel agents and tour operators.”

“It has proved highly successful, and we are continuing that strategy for 2025, alongside other activities, including increased visits to retail travel agencies, training via webinars, incentives and fam visits. “

“As an unconventional Caribbean destination, it’s important to keep the trade informed about our product and how best to sell the island.”

There are over 4,000 UK agents registered to My St. Kitts Rewards and 1,500 registered to the online training programme.

Related News Stories:  St. Kitts Wraps Action-Packed Week With UK Trade March Visit from ...     Slavery in the Caribbean | National Museums Liverpool     NevisPages.com – Nevis News & Business Portal     KITTS TOURISM AUTHORITY CELEBRATES RECORD AIRLIFT | St ...     r/travel     Time to Say Goodbye—A Personal Note ... - Nancy Zieman The Blog     Eric Rozenberg - Event Business Formula | LinkedIn     As UK August Bank Holiday Wraps Up, Global Travel Industry ...     How to Pack for Conferences: Tips for Businesswomen     Anguilla's Tourism Week 2023 wraps with a look at people, planet ...