Basseterre, St. Kitts, December 17, 2018 (SKNIS): The yachting industry in St. Kitts and Nevis is gaining strength, says Minister of Tourism, the Honourable Lindsay Grant during the sitting of Parliament on December 14, 2018, noting that this industry has potential to greatly impact the economy.
According to the minister, for the 2017-2018 season, Christophe Harbour recorded over 5000 overnight stays at its marina. He said that this is an approximately 40 percent growth in the average length of visiting yachts and a 20 percent increase length of stay.
Minister Grant noted that recently the island welcomed the largest yacht to date at the marina- the M/Y Limitless. This visit proved that there are enormous benefits from that industry.
“That Limitless that came in quite recently, fueled up in St. Kitts 55,000 gallons to be exact at about US$4 which means they came in for two to three days and in fuel alone left about 200,000 dollars in this country.”
The tourism minister said that even horticulturists have been benefitting from the visits.
“They call the horticulturist and it’s almost US $5,000 worth of flowers they order. I’m saying there is an opportunity. These opportunities we need to harness to make sure that when they start to flow like we want them to flow we have the capacity to produce for them. It is important that we get on board and we get ready.”
Prime Minister, Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris, stated during his 2019 Budget Address on December 12, 2018, that “Christophe Harbour continues to be a major partner as we keep on working diligently to attract increased interest in our destination as a yachting port of call.”
The prime minister added that “The Yatching Sector remains a source of relatively untapped potential for socio-economic growth and development, with a myriad of opportunities for the launch of new careers in service businesses and industries.”
