Basseterre, St. Kitts, February 07, 2019 (SKNIS): Tourism officials in St. Kitts are looking forward to the spin-off opportunities that will be generated from the recent nomination for one of the top awards from the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC).
The St. Kitts Sustainable Destination Council is one of three finalists for the WTTC‘s 2019 Tourism for Tomorrow Award in the category of Destination Stewardship. According to the website www.wttc.org, “The accolade is presented to organizations helping a place to thrive and bring forward its unique identity for the benefit of its residents and tourists.”
The Sustainable Destination Council was established in November 2013, and is an advisory body made up of public and private representatives with an interest in sustainable tourism development in St. Kitts.
Diannille Taylor-Williams, Assistant Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism and Chairperson of the St. Kitts Sustainable Destination Council, said that as a finalist, representatives from St. Kitts will travel to Spain for the 19th WTTC Global Summit in April where the awards will be presented at a ceremony.
“We are automatically in to the summit where you get to meet global leaders in world travel and tourism,” Mrs. Taylor-Williams said on this week’s edition of the radio and television programme Working for You. “When I am talking about tourism, I’m not talking about resorts or just destinations—you have cruise lines, you have airlines, their top executives are the persons who will be at the event or … presenting at this event. This is a big step forward for little St. Kitts.”
The other finalists for the Destination Stewardship Award are Masungi Georeserve, in the Philippines, and Grupo Rio da Prata, Jardim and Bonito, in Brazil.
The recognition is even more impressive considering that there are only two Caribbean countries listed as finalists for the 2019 Tourism for Tomorrow Awards. The second is the Bucuti and Tara Beach Resort, Aruba, which is a finalist for the Climate Action Award. There is a total of 15 finalists in five categories.
Mrs. Taylor-Williams said that the award nomination has garnered worldwide attention.
“One of our international partners said to us: ‘Do you understand what this is? This is like the Grammy or the Emmy of sustainable tourism. It’s a big deal. Even if you don’t win, just being a finalist for the Tourism for Tomorrow Awards is a big deal,’” she stated, recalling the conversation.
The senior tourism official added that a recent interview with a Canadian journalist and other activities surrounding the nomination will help to garner greater positive attention for St. Kitts on the global stage.
