BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – The St. Kitts Tourism Authority has just concluded its second annual St. Kitts Symposium, held on the island May 4-6, 2006.
The Symposium brought together St. Kitts’ top tour operators from the U.S. with the island’s tourism officials, hoteliers and local tourism industry partners for three days of exciting events, meetings and networking functions.
Representatives from a total of eight tour operators attended the Symposium, which was held at the St. Kitts Marriott Resort & Royal Beach Casino. The Symposium kicked off with a welcome cocktail reception and dinner at Turtle Beach and continued the following day with Opening Ceremonies, a Welcome Address from the Minister of State in the Ministry of Tourism, Sports and Culture Richard “Ricky” O. Skerritt, destination and marketing communications updates and various other presentations.
The Symposium also included a Marketplace, catamaran cruise, barbeque dinner at an authentic island Great House, cocktails at the Royal Beach Casino and “A Taste of St. Kitts” Farewell Dinner featuring local music and dance groups to highlight St. Kitts’ distinctive island culture. Perhaps most importantly, an Open Dialog Round-Table Brainstorming Session served as the forum for a lively exchange of ideas, covering topics from branding and increasing repeat guests to reaching the adventure travel niche market.
“Although the Symposium has barely concluded, we have already received a great deal of positive feedback from participants who found it both educational and enjoyable,” said Ms. Christine Walwyn, Chief Executive Officer (Ag.) of the St. Kitts Tourism Authority. “This is an exciting time for St. Kitts and we felt it was important to strengthen our relationships with key tour operators, particularly those who serve our key niche markets such as wedding/honeymoon, dive and adventure, since these markets are becoming increasingly important as we begin to move our tourism product to a more upscale level.”
