St. Kitts is ready to welcome more Canadians this year. Following the successful launch of its new “Venture Deeper” brand campaign last fall, which introduced elements of introspective self-discovery and purpose-driven travel via striking documentary-style imagery and authentic story telling, the destination has been gaining traction with modern travellers looking for more meaningful experiences.

“This year we inspired travellers to dive into our culture, history and beauty in a way that really resonated with those seeking a more authentic, soul-stirring getaway,” said Ellison “Tommy” Thompson, CEO of the St. Kitts Tourism Authority. “And St. Kitts is now enjoying this incredible momentum of enhanced airlift, industry accolades and record media coverage. There’s a lot of buzz about the destination.”

St. Kitts enjoyed strong and consistent load factors in the 22-23 winter season, earning it a 35 per cent capacity upgrade from Air Canada who will now offer a weekly A321 service to the destination. A St. Kitts Tourism Authority delegation including Thompson, visited Montreal last week to meet with the airline who recently unveiled their plans for further increasing sun destination services this coming winter. The seasonal direct service will return to St. Kitts in early November and run through the end of April with a favourable 9:30 am departure time out of Toronto. Forward bookings for the season are already trending ahead of last year.

A meeting between Air Canada and the St. Kitts Tourism Authority solidified plans for a 35 per cent capacity increase in the 23-24 winter season.

Left to right: Mazin Elbushra, Director, Network Planning – North America (Air Canada); Vlad Cojocarasu, Network Planning and Scheduling Manager (Air Canada); Ellison ‘Tommy’ Thompson, CEO (St. Kitts Tourism Authority); Kelly McConville, Senior Manager, Routes Marketing (Air Canada); Melnecia Marshall, Deputy CEO (St. Kitts Tourism Authority); Candice Kimmel, Airlift Consultant (St. Kitts Tourism Authority); Rui Freire, Pricing Manager (Air Canada); and Chris Kanatselis, Manager, Revenue Optimization (Air Canada).

Thompson also noted that at Virtuoso’s recent annual Symposium in Montreal, the luxury travel network revealed that an analysis of its Canadian client bookings showed St. Kitts trending as one of its ‘top outbound destinations’. The destination has earned accolades this year including the 2023 Caribbean Destination of the Year according to Caribbean Journal. St. Kitts was also recently awarded Best Caribbean Hiking Destination (Caribbean Journal’s Travelers’ Choice Awards 2022) and named the Caribbean’s Leading Dive Destination at the 29th World Travel Awards. Additionally, the destination has been featured extensively in Canadian media outlets this year including a syndicated feature story about its diverse rum scene in the Toronto Star,  and coverage in the Globe & Mail, Toronto Life magazine, on Breakfast Television, CH Morning Live, and many more.

“While it is tempting to rest on our laurels, now is the time to ramp up our efforts even further,” said Thompson. “And we are delighted to unveil a new strategic partnership in Canada that in the coming months will create even more exposure for the island and help us reach new audiences. Stayed tuned on that news to come.”

2023 has been a busy year for St. Kitts as it added regional connectivity with a new InterCaribbean Airways Service that connects it to a number of neighbouring islands. The destination also launched a one-of-a-kind rum experience to add to its tourism offerings. The Kittitian RumMaster program, which offers travellers an immersive rum experience with the chance to earn a certificate (and social media friendly badge) upon completion, has been incredibly popular with foodies and rum connoisseurs. And, with Canadians ranked among some of the most passionate food lovers in the world, a new 28-page Savour St. Kitts Culinary Guide, inspirational Kittitian Cocktail Guide and a pocket-sized Restaurant Guide, are new tools that can be utilized by agents and consumers to learn more about the vibrant culinary scene.

St. Kitts also has a full roster of events planned during its "Summer of Fun" promotion running to September 3, including the 25th Annual St. Kitts Music Festival(22-24 June), St. Kitts and Nevis Restaurant Week (13-23 July) and the Caribbean Premier League Cricket 2023 (23-27 August). 

“We are celebrating a new era of travel to St. Kitts with a fresh brand identity that has allowed us to diversify our offerings and show Canadians how adventurous they can be here,” says Thompson. “But we are also more competitive than we have ever been and as such, are being noticed by consumers, partners and the media. The 35 per cent increase in capacity from Air Canada is a reflection of hard work and a dedicated focus on innovation. We fully expect St. Kitts to continue this upward trajectory and look forward to welcoming a record number of Canadians to our shores.”