Last Updated on October 6, 2020, 4:53 AM AST by Anthony Morris
Chief Executive Officer of the St. Kitts Tourism Authority, Raquel Brown, said at the television and radio show “Working for You” on September 30 even in the time of COVID-19 Pandemic, it is key to maintain relationships with stakeholders.
Ms Brown said that airlines around the world either had to stop operating or had to park their aircraft because of the uncertainty which is brought by the Pandemic.
She added that the cruise industry had paused operations after the CDC had issued a No Sail Order, which may be extended till October 31, and resume sailing on November 1.
She said that we could see that all of this happening and especially for St. Kitts and Nevis where we see the growth, we ask ourselves how do we fit into this puzzle.
She said that it is built on relationships; it is never easy.
The CEO added that she, along with Minister Grant, and Chairman Nick Menon, had times of the year when they had to travel whether it was snowstorms, whether it was Winter, whether it was a heatwave.
Ms Brown said that whatever it was, they had to go to these partners and have discussions with them regarding why coming to St. Kitts and Nevis would be valuable to them as a cruise partner or an airline.
Ms Brown added that now that the borders of the twin-island Federation have been closed, the country is still keeping the lines of communication open even when all forms of marketing, except for social media marketing, have stopped.
She said that the reason was that nobody was going to spend money when everything is shutting down.
Ms Brown said that while they spoke to the airlines and everything was on hold because everything was closed all over the world, March, April, the first two weeks of May, they started to see persons engaging.
It did not matter what the source market was, they started engaging with our social media, and they asked questions. They said that they were looking forward to coming because it is a beautiful place.
Ms Brown stated that by marketing the destination on social media, they could create an experience for those who engaged the posts.
She also stressed that communications with the airlines and cruise lines did not stop.
Anthony Morris covers stories related to politics and regional developments. His in-depth reporting about governance and reforms makes him stand out in regional journalism, with a deep analysis of political trends and their impact on Caribbean communities.
