BASSETERRE, Saint Kitts, June 02, 2025 (SKNIS) – The Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis is making bold strides toward realising its vision of becoming a sustainable island state, with major developments in tourism, agriculture, energy, and border innovation taking shape since the staging of the inaugural Investment Gateway Summit (IGS) last year.
This was the central message delivered by Prime Minister, the Honourable Dr. Terrance Drew, during his remarks at the 2025 Investment Gateway Summit, now underway in Saint Kitts and Nevis. At the opening ceremony on Monday (June 02, 2025), the prime minister stated that multiple high-impact investments are paving the way for a new era for the Federation’s economic and environmental sustainability.
Prime Minister Dr. Drew highlighted the launch of the Federation’s new Electronic Travel Authorisation (eTA) system—an innovation that makes Saint Kitts and Nevis the first in the Caribbean to offer a fully digital, seamless airport experience.
“When you return to Saint Kitts again… you will just walk through the airport,” Dr. Drew told the audience of investors and economic citizens. “You will not have to stop by an immigration officer. Our size does not dictate our vision.”
The prime minister also spotlighted two major developments in the tourism sector: the sale of the marina assets and operations at Christophe Harbour to Safe Harbor Marinas, LLC, a company owned by Blackstone, which positions Saint Kitts and Nevis “to become the premier yachting destination in the Caribbean”; and the commencement of construction on the Ritz-Carlton Hotel on the Southeast Peninsula, a landmark project set to redefine luxury hospitality in the Federation.
In addition, Prime Minister Drew revealed a strategic return to large-scale agriculture, involving hundreds of acres of farmland and the introduction of cutting-edge agricultural technology.
“That investment will secure our food security, and also allow us, for the first time in probably over a quarter century or so, to export agricultural produce right here in Saint Kitts and Nevis to North America,” Dr. Drew said.
In a historic move toward renewable energy independence, the prime minister informed the gathering that Saint Kitts and Nevis has secured financing and commenced work on what will become the largest geothermal energy project in the Caribbean, located on the island of Nevis.
Prime Minister Drew was keen to clarify that all of these major investments fall into Pillar #4 Economic Diversification of the government’s Sustainable Island State Agenda..
“While the CBI Programme is one sphere of investment, all these investments that I’ve just pointed out, which are hundreds of millions of dollars in investments, not one of them is connected to the CBI Programme,” Prime Minister Drew stated. “The message I’m sending today is that we are diversifying our portfolio, which is the most secure way to ensure that we become a sustainable island state.”
Prime Minister Dr. Drew reiterated that from seamless travel and border security to blue economy expansion, agriculture, hospitality, and energy, Saint Kitts and Nevis is not merely talking about sustainability, it is actively building it.
“It is extremely clear that when we say we are to become a sustainable island state, that is not just words. It’s a vision in motion. Where words meet action, and that is what we are about here in Saint Kitts and Nevis.
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