Demand for St. Kitts & Nevis as a destination for travel is rising. Air arrivals for the first two months of this year are posting a year-to-date increase of 15.3 percent system-wide as compared to the same period in 2018. In North America, the destination's largest source market, results are even better, registering a year-to-date increase in air arrivals of 19.3 percent for January and February 2019 as compared to the same months in 2018. This continues the growth of airlift from major gateways in 2018, which increased over 2017 by 9.3 percent system-wide and reached a total of 153,364 air passenger arrivals for the full year. St. Kitts says this is the highest number ever recorded in the destination's history.
St. Kitts' uses a marketing strategy designed to reach individuals who match the geo-demographic lifestyle data of its target visitors in key gateway markets to support airlift year-round as well as marquee island events including St. Kitts Music Festival. In the fourth quarter of 2018, as part of the marketing initiative, more digital, print and spot TV advertising was enacted along with public relations to raise brand awareness and communicate special offers in and around select North American cities.
The Ministry of Tourism and the St. Kitts Tourism Authority also work closely with airlines to systematically build out air bridges to/from identified target gateways to grow service in a sustainable manner while making the island increasingly easy to reach via air.
St. Kitts & Nevis took in non-stop Saturday flights from Minneapolis that started December 22, 2018 and operated through April 20, 2019. Additionally, from Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, the destination received Wednesday non-stop flights that started January 9, 2019 and operated through March 6, 2019 to complement existing non-stop Saturday flights. New non-stop Saturday flights from Dallas starting May 25, 2019 and operating through August 17, 2019 open a new gateway with connections from Houston and the western states of the U.S.
These new statistics come as American Airlines plans to launch nonstop Saturday flights from Dallas - Fort Worth—a first in the island’s history. The flights will span the whole summer, from May 25 to August 17, 2019, on a 128-seat Airbus A-319 aircraft with eight First Class seats, 24 Main Cabin Extra seats and 96 main cabin seats.
For more information, visit www.stkittstourism.kn.
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