While many countries are still struggling with the COVID-19 pandemic, the Federation of St Kitts and Nevis, a dual island nation located between the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, has declared that it has managed to escape the outbreak and is able to attract large numbers of tourists.
St Kitts and Nevis first reopened its borders on October 31, 2020. After three months of receiving international visitors, the country has reported only about 40 cases of the virus, no spreading communities, and no deaths.
Lindsey FP Grant, the Minister of Tourism, Transport, and Ports for St Kitts and Nevis, explained its successful strategy in accepting international travellers without increasing the number of pandemic cases. He said his country had the most comprehensive travel requirements in the Caribbean.
The two islands require visitors to take a PCR test within 72 hours of arrival, using a contract tracking app for the first 14 days with mandatory quarantine at approved hotels.
“We’ve been open for three months and have welcomed visitors from all over the world to our beautiful islands. Tourism is slowly but surely recovering,” said Minister Grant in a statement released by CS Global Partners, an international legal advisory firm specializing in citizenship and residence solutions, Thursday (25/2).
As a country with two attractive islands, St Kitts and Nevis greatly enjoys its fast-growing tourism industry. The islands are a destination for travellers to enjoy cruises with sophisticated docks that can accommodate cruise ships up to 106 meters in size.
For the second straight year before the pandemic, according to the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Line Association, St Kitts and Nevis had attracted as many as 1 million cruise ship passengers each. “The cruise ship has been a huge success for us,” continued Minister Grant.
St Kitts and Nevis is on the right track. Minister Grant said vaccine launches in the US, UK and Europe would help more travellers to St Kitts and Nevis. “So, at the moment we are waiting patiently and optimistically for this to return.”
