St. Kitts and Nevis’ tourism sector has moved decisively from decline to revival, with sustained growth in visitor arrivals, airlift, cruise activity and earnings now anchoring national economic performance, according to Minister of Tourism, Civil Aviation, International Transport, Employment and Labour and Member of Parliament for St. Christopher 2, Marsha Henderson.
Presenting her contribution to the 2026 Budget Debate on Friday, Henderson said the industry she inherited three years ago had been “crippled by poor decisions,” leaving behind fewer arrivals, lost jobs, foreclosures and a widening disconnect between policy and people’s everyday lives. “The consequences were real,” she told the National Assembly. “Some taxi operators actually lost their vehicles. Families lost homes. Confidence was shaken.”
She said the Labour administration had since “reset the compass,” rebuilt institutions and re-anchored tourism in a model that is inclusive, data-driven and globally competitive. “We have turned the page from decline to revival,” Henderson declared, adding that the 2026 Budget is designed to sustain momentum while accelerating transformation across the sector.
The results, she said, are measurable. Between January and October 2025, visitor arrivals increased by eight percent compared to the same period in 2024, with more than 137,000 stay-over visitors recorded. Airlift capacity expanded by 16 percent to more than 280,000 available seats, driven by strengthened partnerships with major carriers including JetBlue, United Airlines, American Airlines, Air Canada and interCaribbean Airways. “These results are not products of chance,” Henderson said. “They are the result of deliberate policy choices, targeted investment and robust inter-sector collaboration.”
Cruise tourism, she noted, remains a strategic pillar, with projections of more than one million cruise passengers for the current season and continued calls from major partners such as Royal Caribbean and Carnival. The Federation, she said, continues to rank among the top five destinations for several cruise lines, with average visitor satisfaction scores of nine out of ten. “This is a clear indication of the effort being put in by this Labour-led administration and the hardworking teams across tourism,” she said.
Henderson emphasised the importance of balancing stay-over and cruise tourism, describing their relationship as complementary rather than competitive. “Stay-over visitors provide sustained economic activity, while cruise visitors inject volume, vibrancy and visibility,” she said, noting that the combination stabilises business activity year-round and reduces seasonal vulnerability.
A major strategic shift outlined in the Budget is the introduction of home-porting operations, with St. Kitts securing an agreement with P&O Cruises under the Carnival Corporation umbrella. Henderson described the move as “transformational,” positioning the Federation not merely as a port of call, but as an embarkation and disembarkation hub. “This means visitors fly into St. Kitts and Nevis, stay in our hotels, dine in our restaurants, use our taxis and tours, and spend money before and after their cruise,” she explained. To support this, Government will proceed with major upgrades at Port Zante, including a new cruise terminal built to international home-porting standards.
The 2026 Budget also allocates significant resources to destination visibility and brand strength, with EC $57.2 million proposed for the Ministry of Tourism and more than half earmarked for strategic promotion and digital brand building. Henderson rejected the idea that marketing is discretionary spending. “This is not expenditure,” she said. “This is investment — investment that puts heads in beds, bodies in taxis and revenue into small businesses.”
She highlighted high-impact campaigns in key source markets, including the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States, as well as partnerships that leverage modern storytelling and authentic representation. “We are not selling an illusion,” Henderson said. “We are sharing the heart and soul of our nation.” She noted with pride that local creatives featured prominently in global campaigns, ensuring that tourism promotion delivers direct benefits to citizens.
Beyond volume, the Minister stressed that the Government is deliberately targeting higher value tourism. Visitor expenditure increased from EC $266 million in 2024 to EC $278.7 million in 2025, supported by longer stays and higher average spend per visitor. The development of yachting as a premium niche, she said, will further strengthen resilience, generate specialised jobs and extend the tourism season. “This sector unlocks opportunities in marine services, provisioning and luxury hospitality,” Henderson told the House.
At the community level, Henderson said tourism’s success must be felt in households, not just balance sheets. “It is the taxi operator who earns more fares, the tour guide whose schedule is full, the restaurant worker whose hours are steady, and the craft vendor whose artistry is valued,” she said. That philosophy, she added, extends to labour policy, with continued reforms to ensure decent work, safe conditions and upward mobility for workers across the tourism value chain.
Looking ahead, Henderson said the Ministry’s priorities for 2026 are anchored in connectivity, skills development, diversification and resilience, with tourism aligned to the broader vision of building a Sustainable Island State. “Tourism must heal and not harm, restore and not extract,” she said, pointing to investments in waste management, renewable energy integration and climate-resilient infrastructure at ports and tourism sites.
Framing the sector’s trajectory in national terms, Henderson said St. Kitts and Nevis is no longer playing catch-up in a competitive global market. “We are stepping into a new era of tourism leadership,” she declared. “Tourism is no longer something that happens around our people. Tourism is working for our people.”
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