BASSETERRE: Tourism Minister Hon. Marsha T. Henderson represented St. Kitts and Nevis at a landmark Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO) Council of Ministers Meeting in Bermuda last week — where regional leaders declared that air connectivity is nothing less than an economic lifeline for Caribbean nations.
The February 23–24 event, which doubled as the inaugural CTO Air Connectivity Summit, drew representatives from 24 countries, including both CTO members and non-members, alongside airline executives, airport authorities, and industry partners from around the world.
A major outcome of the Summit was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the CTO and Airports Council International (ACI-LAC) to strengthen cooperation on air access, training, research, and industry development — a development with direct implications for small island states like St. Kitts and Nevis that depend heavily on international airlift.
CTO Airlift Committee Chairman Rosa Harris, Director of Tourism for the Cayman Islands, delivered a blunt message in her closing remarks: “Air connectivity is not simply a tourism enabler — it is the economic lifeline of our nations.”
The Summit’s agenda was shaped by a data-driven approach championed by the CTO Airlift Committee, which advanced a regional airlift study aimed at producing concrete solutions to longstanding connectivity gaps across the region.
High-level discussions centered on boosting intra-regional travel and building the long-term sustainability and resilience of Caribbean tourism economies — sectors that remain vulnerable to external shocks, from hurricanes to global economic downturns.
The St. Kitts Tourism Authority noted that Minister Henderson’s participation “underscores her commitment to regional partnership and the collective growth of the Caribbean’s most vital industry.”
The Bermuda Tourism Authority, alongside the Ministry of Tourism and other government agencies, co-hosted the event at the Fairmont Hamilton Princess & Beach Club.