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Lsdeep |
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Post subject: ST. KITTS ANNOUNCES RESEARCH STUDY COMPLETION
 Posted: Nov 01, 2006 - 12:59 PM
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Richard "Ricky" O. Skerritt, Minister of State in the Ministry of Tourism, Sports and Culture, today announces the completion of two comprehensive research studies on St. Kitts' tourism product that will serve as the basis for development of the island's long-term tourism sector strategy.
The research was conducted by The OTF Group, based in Boston, MA. Results were generated from an attitudes and usage survey of 1,200 people conducted earlier this fall among both past visitors and potential visitors who had inquired about St. Kitts in conjunction with an extensive survey and interview process among St. Kitts' tourism stakeholders. Visitor exit surveys were also conducted during the month of August at the RL Bradshaw International Airport in St Kitts.
As indicated by the research, the majority of St. Kitts visitors fall into the affluent and desirable Baby Boomer category, aged 42-60 who possess more wealth than the US national average and who have taken at least one prior trip to the Caribbean. While visitors in this group list sun and beach relaxation as very important in choosing a leisure destination, they also expressed the desire for increased destination interaction with particular emphasis in the regions of eco-tourism and culture/heritage travel, seeking a meaningful experience that will impact them in a positive way.
Additionally, the research revealed that in order to construct a long-term plan for sustainable tourism, St. Kitts needs to focus on three key areas of strategic importance: 1) environmental protection, 2) strategic niche marketing and 3) empowerment and human resource development. Widespread stakeholder cluster group consultation-type feedback also strongly recommended that all three areas of focus need to be based on a foundation of cooperation and alliance building between the public and private sectors. Fortunately, St. Kitts already has several products in various stages of execution to address this three-pronged growth directive, as follows-
St. Kitts has already begun to address the need to protect its fragile underwater environment with the selection of C.O.R.A.L. (the Coral Reef Alliance) to conduct a baseline assessment summarizing St. Kitts' current status of marine environmental sustainability, including observations of tourism provider practices, community conservation alliances, government readiness, financing and threat perception, as well as the steps that must be undertaken in order to establish and maintain successful Marine Protected Areas. Members of the C.O.R.A.L. team have already traveled to St. Kitts twice to conduct their study and to hold stakeholder workshops on both St. Kitts and Nevis. An assessment is now being prepared for presentation to St. Kitts' authorities with a view to establishing a marine management system. Meanwhile, earlier this year, the National Parliament declared all land above the 1,000 ft contour to be a National Forest Reserve. St Kitts is also well known for its lush and picturesque interior mountain chain which rises to nearly 4,000 ft at its highest point.
Furthermore, St. Kitts' new resort developments have been designed to complement the landscape and preserve the character, key attributes and natural environment that set the island apart from others. Additionally, development primarily falls within the mixed-use category, featuring villas, condominiums, town houses and apartments in addition to traditional hotels or resorts, which taps into the trend of leading edge Baby Boomers aged 50-60 buying offshore vacation/retirement homes. Among these new mixed-use accommodations currently in the planning or construction phases are Ocean's Edge, Kittitian Heights, La Vallee and the Auberge Firesky project on the Southeast Peninsula.
In the realm of niche marketing, St. Kitts has also initiated steps to reach the island's main target customer segments. New marketing tools have been created and are already in use by the St. Kitts Tourism Authority across their marketing, communications, advertising and promotional efforts. These tools consist of a new brochure and newsletter as well as new destination DVDs highlighting the island's key attributes of nature, culture, heritage, and a genuine welcoming people – all of which are in accordance with the findings of the recent research. Originally produced for broadcast during the upcoming ICC (International Cricket Council) Cricket World Cup 2007, the seven different DVDs and three 30-second commercials have extended applications in destination marketing endeavors.
Finally, St. Kitts is committed to the empowerment of its people and human resource development, as is evidenced by two complementary initiatives. The first is the island's annual Tourism Week, during which hundreds of mostly young Kittitians, were introduced to the tourism industry with the objective of increasing public awareness about the importance of tourism and its impact on St. Kitts' economy. Tourism Week included such activities as a job experience program, slogan competitions, hospitality guest speakers in schools, a youth congress, training workshops and customer service seminars. The week of activities was brought to a close last weekend with a Tourism Awards Banquet which was addressed by Prime Minister Dr. Denzil Douglas and CTO Secretary General, Vincent Vanderpool-Wallace. The second initiative is a new home-stay program that will involve Kittitians offering rooms within their homes for short-term stays during the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 and beyond. While adding about 150 rooms in private homes to the destination's inventory of available accommodations, this resourceful initiative will also serve to increase the involvement of local residents in the tourism and hospitality sector.
"This past January, we launched an eight-point interim plan with a pledge to follow up by year's end with a comprehensive, long-term strategic plan for tourism development to guide us in the transition from an economy driven by the agribusiness of sugarcane production – our primary industry for over 300 years – to a service-oriented market economy driven by hospitality and tourism," said Richard "Ricky" O. Skerritt, Minister of State in the Ministry of Tourism, Sports and Culture. "I'm very pleased to report that we remain on course to fulfill this pledge, as The OTF Group has completed the research phase of this project and can now proceed to finalizing our long-term plan."
Located in the northern Leeward Islands of the Caribbean, St. Kitts offers a diverse tourism product developed from the destination's natural beauty, cultural heritage and rich history. Originally populated by native Carib Indians, the island was colonized by the British in 1623 and gained its independence, in Federation with Nevis, in 1983. It now offers visitors a wide variety of vacation activities including hiking through the tropical rainforest, riding the scenic railway that connects the island's sugar plantations, touring Brimstone Hill Fortress, the only man-made UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Eastern Caribbean, and the more traditional vacation pastimes such as watersports, golf, shopping, tennis, gourmet dining, gaming at St. Kitts' exclusive casino or simply relaxing on one of the island's sandy beaches. Guests can select from accommodations ranging from intimate plantation inns to larger hotels or resorts. In 2007, St. Kitts will be a host venue for the ICC (International Cricket Council) Cricket World Cup with six Phase One matches scheduled to take place at Warner Park Stadium in March 2007, featuring Australia, South Africa, Holland and Scotland.
IMPORTANT TRAVEL NOTICE: As of January 8, 2007, all travelers entering or re-entering the United States through airports from any destination will be required to have a PASSPORT or other accepted document that establishes the bearer's identity and nationality. Please visit the U.S. State Department website at http://travel.state.gov for more information and downloadable passport application forms.
For more information about St. Kitts, please contact the St. Kitts Tourism Authority toll free from the US at 1-800-582-6208 or from Canada 1-888-395-4887, e-mail info@stkittstourism.kn or visit the website at www.stkitts-tourism.com.
For more information, please visit:
www.adams-pr.com |
_________________
Idealism is what precedes experience - cynicism is what follows.
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