MINISTER HENDERSON HAILS TRANSFORMATIVE WORK IN TOURISM AMID RECORD-BREAKING FIRST QUARTER

Basseterre, Saint Kitts, May 28, 2026 (SKNIS): The tourism sector in Saint Kitts and Nevis is registering a highly successful first quarter for 2026. The strong performance is attributed to the strategic plans of the Ministry of Tourism, paired with aggressive marketing of the destination by the St. Kitts Tourism Authority, and strengthened partnerships with key stakeholders locally, regionally and internationally.

At a press conference on Thursday, May 28, 2026, at the St. Kitts Marriott Resort, Minister of Tourism, the Honourable Marsha Henderson, shared that airlift figures for the period January to March were 41,490 passengers. The estimated passenger spend was an impressive $62,486,571. This represents a 21 percent increase over 2025 statistics.

Minister Henderson said that the increase in visitor spend is in line with the government’s vision.

“Our focus is not just about increasing the number of visitors, but improving the quality of spend,” she stated.

As a tourism destination, Saint Kitts also experienced significant growth in the cruise sector with increased cruise ship calls and arrivals. To date, 918,198 cruise passengers have been welcomed, and the season is not yet over.

“We have worked intentionally to build relationships with our cruise partners, restoring confidence in Saint Kitts as a premier cruise destination and strengthened our position in increasingly competitive markets,” the minister added.

The cruise tourism performance is the highest recorded since the 2019 COVID pandemic. It is a clear demonstration of the value of sustained relationship building, strategic engagements, and focussed planning. Further, the future of cruise tourism is extremely promising with plans for the island to move from a simple port of call to a transit point in November 2027, when home porting begins.

“This is what transformative work looks like, moving beyond the ordinary to the visionary,” said Minister Henderson.

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