Basseterre, St. Kitts, September 27, 2019 (SKNIS): Winning the WTTC 2019 Tourism for Tomorrow Destination Stewardship Award was no small feat, says Minister of Tourism, the Honourable Lindsay Grant, noting that the 2019 National Best Village Competition is in line with the government’s position to maintain its status as a sustainable destination.
According to the website www.wttc.org, the accolade for the award of Destination Stewardship “is presented to organizations helping a place to thrive and bring forward its unique identity for the benefit of its residents and tourists.”
“Little St. Kitts, 68 square miles. We won that award from every other country in the world and a part of that about sustainability is what you are doing over the last 6-months, and we hope you would do beyond that to make sure that our environment is clean.
Minister Grant stated that the best village competition is not only in line with the government’s efforts to maintain its status as a sustainable destination, but is crucial to the tourism strategy.
“We remain dedicated to keeping our product authentic and sustainable,” he said. “And the experiential travelers that we are targeting, they are demanding authentic immersive experiences. So we must ensure that St. Kitts remains beautiful and our visitors appreciate what we are doing.”
The tourism minister encouraged not only the participants, but also the nation to keep the country as clean and natural as possible.
“We must continue striving for excellence so our tourism industry can continue to grow and to thrive,” he said.
The competition is aimed at the beautification and preservation of communities and the promotion of community togetherness.
Thirty-three communities have registered to participate in the 2019 National Best Village Competition.
Judged categories include Best Clean and Green Area, Best Home Garden and Best Kept Neighbourhood.
Other categories, which will be Ministerial Awards, are Best Village Grandparent and Best Sustainability Programme.
The winner of the competition will be announced in November of this year.
