Top publications with a readership of over one billion rank St. Kitts among the best in the world

Brimstone Hill

Ships at Port Zante

Ocean Edge

BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS, JANUARY 7TH 2013 (CUOPM) – Continuing good news for St. Kitts’ tourism.

2012 was a banner year for St. Kitts in the travel press with a number of top publications, including US News & World Report, MSNBC, About.com and USA Today with a combined readership of more than 1 billion, effectively promoting St. Kitts as a premiere vacation destination and singling out the island as among the best places to visit.

The most recent accolade, on December 27, went to St. Kitts’ popular Mr. X’s Shiggidy Shack, named as one of the 20 Great Caribbean Beach Bars by About.com, which had also included Cockleshell Beach in a list of the Top 20 Beaches in the Caribbean earlier in the year.

“More and more respected media outlets are recognizing St. Kitts as our tourism product develops,” said Senator the Hon. Ricky Skerritt, Minister of Tourism & International Transport.

“These publications are read by affluent, discerning travelers, who have the discretionary income to spend on our islands to the benefit of our local people. The six-year story of the acceleration of our tourism development since the closure of our sugar industry is a remarkable one that is being discovered by more and more quality media concerns.

In 2006, our Government created a multi-tiered strategic plan aimed to stimulate investment in our tourism infrastructure and a shift to a more targeted visitor. Simultaneously, we began aggressively marketing our destination and focusing on improving our standards and empowering our people in order to reap the maximum benefits from the sector,” said Skerritt.

St. Kitts is currently ranked at #2 in a list of the 16 Best Caribbean Vacations and #4 in a list of the 12 Best Islands in the World by US News & World Report.