Whatever it is that one wears or carries to repel monkeys, I must have had it. Knowing that the elusive vervet monkeys are often spotted around the island, I was on the lookout. Now I must be one of the few people to ever leave the island and not see one of the wild monkeys (the three caged ones do not count in my book!). Yet, that was the only disappointment on my recent trip to St. Kitts.

As an emerging destination, results of research undertaken by St. Kitts' Ministry of Tourism, Sports and Culture revealed that visitors fall into the affluent baby-boomer category, and have taken at least one prior trip to the Caribbean. According to the findings, while visitors in this category list sun and beach relaxation as very important in choosing a leisure destination, they also expressed desire for increased destination interaction with emphasis on eco-tourism and culture/heritage travel. St. Kitts proved in the three days that I spent there to meet those requirements.

As we made our way around the island I had to ask our driver if they ever get to see the top of Mount Liamuiga (pronounced Lee-a-mweega and meaning fertile island), a dormant volcano that lies in the lush rainforest. Dominating the Kittitian landscape, the cloud-covered peak which could be seen from various angles on the island was a spectacular sight as we stood in its shadow on the landscaped lawns of Ottley’s Plantation Inn. Originally a 17th century sugar plantation, the extensive grounds of this 35-acre, 4-diamond award retreat allow guests to explore trails through its own rainforest ravines.

With the only man-made UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Eastern Caribbean (the 17th century Brimstone Hill Fortress), exploring St. Kitts allows visitors to get a glimpse of life as far back as pre-colonial days with ancient petroglyphs carved by the Carib Indians into the rock near the entrance to Romney Manor. Romney Manor, home to the Caribelle Batik factory and boutique, is also seeped in history as one of the island's oldest great houses on land originally owned by the family of the third President of the United States, Thomas Jefferson. Not very far from there are the grave sites of Thomas Warner, the first British Governor in the West Indies, and Samuel Jefferson, believed to be Thomas Jefferson's great-great grandfather.

Hard as it was to imagine before getting there, throughout the island and even in its "bustling" city center there are no traffic lights. Together with interacting with locals, the culture of St. Kitts can be glimpsed in the art galleries and craft studios, in the Kittitian fashions and local home dine-arounds. Driving through the villages one can see the remnants of St. Kitts' once vibrant sugar industry giving way to a new economy. Even heading south along the peninsula that stretches out towards Nevis, the signs announcing new developments give way to the secrets of locals – that this protected undulating plain is home to more than half a dozen unspoiled beaches and lagoons, goats, white-tailed deer, and yes … vervet monkeys.

Did you know?
Slightly larger than Barbuda and twice the size of sister island Nevis, at only 68 square miles St. Kitts is characterized by its fine plantation inns but also holds a large capacity for meetings and groups. With 516-rooms and suites, the St. Kitts Marriott Resort & The Royal Beach Casino has the greatest number of guest rooms at a 4 or 5-star level.

View St. Kitts Virtual Site Inspection Video

For more information or to incorporate these and other activities into your program, send us an email or complete the RFP on our web site.

Newsworthy Tidbits For the first time Michael Bolton will be one of the headliners for the St. Kitts Music Festival. Additional artistes will be announced in the coming weeks. Also to be announced is the line up for St. Lucia Jazz. Not to be outdone, organizers of Tobago's third annual Plymouth Jazz Fest have announced their line up for the April 27-29 event. Among the headliners are Elton John, Diana Ross, Mary J Blige, and Beres Hammond. Goldeneye, the former estate of James Bond creator Ian Fleming, will target a new niche of residential tourists as expansion of the property begins in June 2007. The project on the north coast of Jamaica includes a mix of 82 cottages and villas that will be placed in a rental program managed by Island Outpost. Something Extra With handcrafted pewter pieces from Mexico and a bamboo collection imported from Vietnam among their selections, Ella Style is proving there is still a market for the indigenous and for artisans who pour their hearts into their work. Whether to motivate, reward, recognize... or thank, visit Ella Style and save 15% (good through March 1, 2007). Just enter your promotional code: Maize when prompted at checkout. Cross-Cultural Tips & News Industry publication Travel Weekly recently asked "Is the U.S. ready for a surging influx of Asian tourists?" In anticipation of the increasing number of tourists from China and India, and noting that different markets have different demographics, Harvey Chipkin highlights key points made by the International Society of Hospitality Consultants, such as: • Multigenerational travel is quite common among Indians and other peoples of South Asia, where grandparents, parents and children often travel together and often for periods of two weeks or longer. These travel patterns are vastly different from those currently accommodated by Western hotel operators. • Cultural considerations will affect the tourism products offered to and desired by these markets. These include attractions (the Chinese gravitate toward places of historical importance), building design (segregated areas for women and children, for example), staffing (language and cultural sensitivity training), shopping (more demand for branded products) and seasonal preferences and packaging. Read more at http://www.travelweekly.com/articles.aspx?articleid=54790 For information on our cross-cultural training programs or additional training programs, send us an email or visit our web site.   SNC Destinations/ The SNC Group email: info@sncdestinations.com web: http://www.sncdestinations.com blog: http://sncdestinations.com/cblog PERMISSION TO REPRINT: The contents of this e-newsletter may be copied, reproduced or freely distributed for all non-profit purposes without the consent of the author as long as the author's name and contact information are included. This e-newsletter is sent to all individuals who signed up for our mailing list at www.sncdestinations.com or www.sncdestinations.com/cblog, and to friends and clients of SNC Destinations. We treat your contact information as private and confidential. We will never sell or distribute our subscriber list.