BASSETERRE (29TH March, 2019) – The St. Kitts Tourism Authority hosted yet another “sold out” event in an affluent suburb of Atlanta on Tuesday evening as part of its ongoing activities to grow visitor arrivals from the southeast as part of the Destination St. Kitts & Nevis US Roadshow 2019. Attendees of the dinner function included top travel agents, tour operators, MICE buyers, wedding and honeymoon planners and media, who all turned out to learn more about what the destination has to offer business and leisure travelers.
.
“The success of the US Roadshow so far has been remarkable,” said the Hon. Lindsay F.P. Grant, Minister of Tourism for St. Kitts & Nevis. “Hosting yet another completely full room of attendees from travel agents to MICE buyers and media is a clear indication that there is growing interest and demand in the Atlanta area for St. Kitts & Nevis. I look forward to welcoming more visitors from this market moving forward.”
The Tuesday evening event was a networking dinner held in Buckhead, an upscale suburban community located just north of Atlanta, at The Westin Buckhead and supports St. Kitts’ non-stop flights from Delta via carrier’s Atlanta hub. It attracted a whopping total of 55 attendees (comprised of 35 travel agents, 13 MICE buyers, 3 media, 3 wedding & honeymoon planners and 1 tour operator), the highest number for a Roadshow event so far.
All attendees were top travel professionals representing some of the most respected organizations in the business, including David Mikitz from the number one incentive house in the US, Maritz Travel, AAA Travel, Classic Vacations, Meetings Plus, Prestige Travel, Travel Leaders, Cox Enterprises and more.
“It was very beneficial to the destination to have face-to-face interaction with so many top travel industry professionals from the Atlanta area, which supports our non-stop service from Delta Airlines,” added Racquel Brown, CEO of the St. Kitts Tourism Authority. “In particular, the turnout of MICE buyers who attended this event was very high with many top organizations represented from Maritz Travel to Cox Enterprises as we aim to increase group travel to the destination. We are continuing to develop our relationships with these persons year after year while simultaneously expanding our core base of sellers in this key market to help further grow arrivals to our shores.”
Throughout the evening, attendees played games, listened to presentations and won a variety of prizes from hotel stays to bottles of St. Kitts’ own Brinley Gold Shipwreck rum that were provided by participating destination tourism stakeholders. They were also treated to a meal and lively conversation with representatives from St. Kitts.
In addition, attending travel agents were offered a special $150 incentive for booking clients’ air only on the Delta non-stop flight to St. Kitts or air in combination with a hotel reservation at participating destination hotels, all offering special Summer Sunsation rates, between now and May 17, 2019 for clients’ travel through August 17, 2019 when they log their productivity on St. Kitts’ website or our Destination Specialist with Travel Agent University. As a result, many attendees are now adding St. Kitts & Nevis as a featured destination they will sell to their clients.
The St. Kitts delegation consisted of: the Hon. Lindsay F. P. Grant, Minister of Tourism for St. Kitts & Nevis; Racquel Brown, CEO of the St. Kitts Tourism Authority; Ambassador Jonel Powell, Chairman of the Artist Selection Committee for the St. Kitts Music Festival; Annie Sinzinger, US Marketing Manager for the St. Kitts Tourism Authority; Denise Zimber, Christina Mucha and Shayna White Marketing Consultants for the St. Kitts Tourism Authority; and Candice Kimmel, CEO and Founder of Adams Unlimited, PR & Marketing Agency in North America for the St. Kitts Tourism Authority.
Participating tourism stakeholders from St. Kitts & Nevis included: Troy Hendrickson, Carib Journey Masters; Tawanna Wigley, Sales Representative, Ocean Terrace Inn; Richard Berridge, General Manager, Kayanjet; Jaana Kuntonen, Sunlinc; Christine Marshall, Sales Manager, Park Hyatt St. Kitts; Sylvia Martinez, Director of Sales and Marketing, St. Kitts Marriott; Tim Thuell, Nisbet Plantation; Cyndi Miller-Aird, President, Miller + Aird Destination Marketing for Belle Mont Farm; Jamar Wilkins, Travel Industry Sales Manager, Four Seasons Resort Nevis; and Darren Thompson, General Manager, Royal St. Kitts.