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| St. Kitts & Nevis Minister of Tourism and International Transport, Sen. Ricky Skerritt, is presented with a recognition award by newly elected CTO Chairman Beverly Nicholson-Doty. |
St. Kitts has received numerous compliments as the host destination for last week’s Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) State of the Industry Conference.
Providing the roughly 200 attending public and private sector tourism industry leaders from more than 20 of CTO’s member countries as well as members of the international media with a first-hand experience of its genuine hospitality and facilities, small St. Kitts made a big showing for itself.
“We were extremely gratified to host this important regional conference which addressed the most critical issues facing tourism to the Caribbean,” said St. Kitts & Nevis Minister of Tourism & International Transport, Senator Ricky Skerritt, who was also the outgoing chairman of the CTO.
“Since this was my last official undertaking as CTO Chairman, it seemed particularly fitting to hand over the leadership of the organization, which I have endeavored over the past two years to strengthen, on my own home turf," he said. "This simultaneously placed St. Kitts in the spotlight as an exceptional destination choice for major regional and international events.”
Flags of CTO member countries were mounted along Kim Collins highway as a special greeting to make attendees feel welcome from their first moments on island. Kicking off the week of conference activities, St. Kitts showcased its twin-island tourism product to the more than 20 visiting journalists from the U.S., U.K., Canada and Caribbean.
St. Kitts remained a focal point of attention throughout the conference, with affairs also being held at the Beach House, Carambola Beach Club and the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank. In addition, the island’s tourism investors figured prominently on conference panels, including Founder & Managing Director of Kittitian Hill, Valmiki Kempadoo, who discussed “Winning Strategies for Caribbean Competitiveness,” as well as CEO of the Christophe Harbour Development Company Charles “Buddy” Darby and Chief Operating Officer of Veling Limited Dinesh Burrenchobay, who spoke about the opportunities for moving the Caribbean products more up-market.
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