With millions of eyes on St Kitts and Nevis during the CPL T20 games, it can be said that there has been a significant boost in tourism as persons take action to the St Kitts tourism motto ‘Follow Your Heart’, says Stanley Knight, Permanent Secretary in the Youth, Sports and Culture Ministry.
Appearing on the radio-television programme ‘Working for You’ on Wednesday, Knight said that the Government of St Kitts and Nevis has part ownership of the local Patriots cricket team and this ownership exists as a part of the tourism brand. The part ownership stems from the contract to host the first few games and the finals. He explained that the hosting of the finals is independent of that contract which now allows for the branding of St Kitts and Nevis.
The PS said that the viewership of the finals is expected to increase: “One of the reasons for this is that the media value increases as the lights on our facility are the best in the region and it allows for simply a much higher quality broadcast,” said Knight.
Knight added that hosting the finals also brands the country as a destination and gave an analogy of how the destination is branded.
“A man leaves his house intending to go somewhere but does not know where he is going,” he explained. “Where ever he arrives, he is going to say ‘Here I am’. The value of the CPL finals to us is that we are now giving those persons a specific destination to go to because we are telling them to ‘follow their heart’ to St Kitts. That is the message we are trying to get across.”
Knight said that the brand can also be expanded into sports tourism: “If your passion is sport and if your passion is cricket, ‘Follow your heart’ to St Kitts and Nevis,” he said, adding that expanding the brand brings value to the country.
Knight said that the tourism product can also be extended into Pan-Caribbean travel when there is a slight decline in the North American, European visitors during the month of August. He added that many persons often stay for Culturama, which is right on the heels of the cricket matches. (SKNIS)
