NIA CHARLESTOWN NEVIS (March 18, 2013) — Two institutions in St. Kitts and Nevis have been publicly acknowledged by Deputy Premier and Minister of Tourism in the Nevis Island Administration Hon. Mark Brantley.

The Tourism Minister told the Department of information on March 15, 2013, that they were both instrumental in his first and successful trip to the Sea Trade Cruise Conference in Miami. The Conference was held from March 11-14, 2013 and was attended by Mr. Brantley and Senior Cruise Officer in the Ministry of Tourism Ms. Tamika Lawrence.

“The trip and the success that I feel of this trip would not have been possible were it not for the good people of Kantours. I want to single out Mr. Clayton Perkins and his team because they really went above and beyond in facilitating Ms. Lawrence and myself on this trip.

“I also would like to thank the good people from the St. Kitts Tourism Authority and my former School Teacher Carolyn James, the acting Head of that Authority. They too facilitated us and I am very grateful for that,” he said.

Notwithstanding, Mr. Brantley said that although that was his first such overseas meeting, other officials involved in Tourism Industry, would be the ones primarily at the forefront of selling the destination.

“I do not anticipate and I think I ought to say publicly, that I will not be attending many of these functions.  The whole purpose behind me attending this function was to take some specific meetings and to acquaint myself with what happens at this type of event.

“I feel that the Ministry and the Nevis Tourism Authority (NTA) have qualified technical people, they are the ones who ought to go out and sell the jurisdiction and unless it is absolutely necessary for me to attend meetings, I don’t propose that I will be making these types of trips often,” he stated.

However, he was hopeful that the benefits from his trip to the Conference would trickle down to the people of Nevis.

“I want to make that very, very clear but this was a good first trip and we hope to see the benefits flowing for the people of Nevis at least the taxi drivers, craft, the artisans the vendors generally and of course for the Treasury. Any funds that flow from these efforts really redound to the benefit of the people of Nevis,” he said.