The 2018 Caribbean CrewFest has been the best since the inception of the event three years ago, said Katherine Verano, Director of Marketing for Christophe Harbour.
Caribbean CrewFest 2018 was held at The Marina at Christophe Harbour, and was a four-day event that was organised in collaboration with ACREW, an international crew professional development organization.
The organisers indicated that Caribbean CrewFest is an ideal way to promote the marina and all that St. Kitts and Nevis has to offer, while providing the developmental workshops for the crew of attending super yachts.
Speaking about the impact of the 17th to 20th January Caribbean CrewFest, Verano said, “This year was the best in terms of attendance, in terms of engagement, in terms of overall numbers and impact. We had 15 super yachts, with an average length of 61 meters, which was an increase over last year, which means we had more crew in attendance.”
The crew were in engaged in various professional workshops during the morning, and in the afternoon, exploring St. Kitts and Nevis was top of the agenda.
“I think people were definitely keen to get out and see the island,” Verano said.
With only one repeat boat from previous CrewFest, the event is achieving at least one of its primary objectives of driving new super yachts and their crew to the Marina.
Also significant, Verano said, was the involvement of the Ministries of Tourism from both islands. On St. Kitts, for example, The Ministry of Tourism hosted the welcome reception that incorporate cultural presentations from the Masqueraders, the Clowns and Mocko Jumbies.
“Four Seasons was also a great sponsor, as well as the Spice Mill restaurant,” Verano said.
“We did a great job in entertaining the crew and showing them around, and showing them what they can do on St. Kitts and Nevis with their guests and yacht owners,” Verano said.
So how well did CrewFest 2018 go? Verano said boats this year stayed much longer than in previous years. It means that crew would be coming on land for various reasons including shopping and entertainment. But there is another important benefit.
Verano explained, “We are also seeing a significant number of boat owners coming to St. Kitts to start their charters, and these are boats that ordinarily would have started their charters in Antigua or St Maarten, and they are actually in St. Kitts this year.”
Continuing, she said, “We are seeing more charter guests and more owners in St. Kitts, as a result of CrewFest. I think that for the remainder of the season, we will see these boats returning to St. Kitts and Nevis, with charter guests and owners on board.”
