The Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis today announced plans to reopen its borders to foreign tourism beginning in October 2020. According to the Prime Minister, Dr. Timothy Harris, the reopening will allow the resumption of commercial passenger air and sea traffic entering the twin islands' ports.
During a press briefing held last week, Harris stated that the Federation's major hotels would continue their role as committed partners to the tourism sector. The islands' phased reopening will be conducted in concert with St Kitts and Nevis' Chief Medical Officer and other medical experts.
"The St. Kitts Tourism Authority, the Nevis Tourism Authority, and the Ministry of Tourism, in conjunction with the ministries of health and civil aviation, is conducting [...] training exercises for over 5,000 tourism industry stakeholders, including hotels, at no cost to them," explained the Federation's Minister of Tourism, Lindsay Grant, noting that roughly 300 individuals have already completed the training.
Sector stakeholders are being educated on the new standards, and health and safety protocols that they must meet in order to qualify for the "Travel Approved" seal and certification, issued by their area's respective Tourism Authority, that they'll need to obtain in order to operate in today's COVID-19-affected conditions.
St. Kitts and Nevis has the lowest confirmed COVID-19 case count among the CARICOM states, with zero deaths recorded in association with the virus and no currently active cases on the islands.
Tourism to St. Kitts and Nevis has been on the rise in recent years, with cruises bringing over one million passengers to the destination for the past two years in a row. Analysts expect the industry to continue on this trajectory once the dust from COVID-19 settles, especially given the planned inauguration of a second cruise pier at Port Zante. Funds generated by the Federation's Citizen by Investment (CBI) Program were put towards its construction.
The CBI Program remains the fastest route to obtaining secondary citizenship in the country, enabling donors to live, work and study in St. Kitts and Nevis, as well as enjoy increased global mobility, with visa-free or visa-on-arrival entry in over 150 destinations. And, Foreign Minister, Mark Brantley, continually works to add even more countries and territories to that list.
In July 2020, the government launched a time-limited offer, through which a family of up to four people can gain citizenship by contributing US$150,000 to the Federation's Sustainable Growth Fund, as opposed to the usual US$195,000.
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