by Brian Major
Last updated: 4:55 PM ET, Thu September 19, 2024
Squarely in growth mode as a Caribbean tourism destination,
the dual-island Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis is engaged in a series of
initiatives to ensure its tourism future remains sustainable.
St. Kitts and Nevis last year codified its sustainability
efforts through designation as a Sustainable Island State under United Nations
auspices. Under the program Federation legislators are committed to implementing sustainability policies with ecological,
educational, cultural and financial components.
The Federation this year introduced legislation to ban the
use of single-use plastics, with a timetable for implementation. The government
has also initiated a campaign to convert streetlights and lighting fixtures at
sports facilities to LED, reducing power consumption.
“The philosophy behind the Federation’s efforts to create a
sustainable tourism environment focuses on preserving our environment, culture,
and history,” Marsha Henderson, Saint Kitts and Nevis’ minister of tourism, said
in an interview earlier this year.
"As a destination that relies heavily on tourism, we must
protect our tourism products so that locals and visitors can enjoy them for
generations to come,” Henderson added.
Other government-led initiatives include a strategy to
encourage the rewilding of former sugar plantations. Sugar cane fields were
abandoned when commercial production ended in St. Kitts and Nevis in 2005,
Henderson said.
“Naturally, nature started taking over and reclaimed much
of the sugar lands closest to the rainforest. As a result, the rainforest has
expanded,” she said. Notably, St. Kitts and Nevis’ rainforest is protected
under legislation.
Other initiatives targeted St. Kitts and Nevis tourism
businesses. In 2021, the Ministry of Tourism launched the Heart of St. Kitts
Sustainability Charter, aimed at encouraging local tourism companies to adopt
responsible practices.
The Charter outlines concrete actions businesses can take
to improve their sustainability performance. Along with a framework of best
practices, a participant handbook was developed to offer practical guidance on
implementing sustainability practices.
Despite these actions, Henderson described the initiatives
surrounding the government’s program to establish the Federation as a
Sustainable Island State as “in the infancy stages.”
Still, Henderson said “Some restaurants on the island have
already implemented the ban on single-use plastics, utilizing mason jars, paper
straws, biodegradable takeaway containers and banana leaves as plates.”
The Ministry of Tourism has also created a marketing and
communications toolkit to help assist businesses in telling their
sustainability stories in compelling ways.
“We also seek to increase economic sustainability by
creating closer links between tourism and agriculture,” Henderson said.
The Tourism Ministry is also creating connections between tourism
and the Federation’s creative economy and souvenir manufacturing, aimed at “reducing
the leakage of foreign exchange and expanding the wealth of tourism in the
local communities within the Federation,” Henderson said.
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