Above: the port of Charlestown (CJ Photo)

Nevisian tourism officials plan to continue marketing the island to the small, luxury cruise sector, the government said this week.

With no further investments to expand existing cruise facilities, Nevis Tourism Minister Mark Brantley said the high-end market would be the way forward for the island.

“We do not have any intentions to build any cruise facilities in Nevis, spend multi-millions of dollars on that,” he said. “We feel that our focus is still predominantly land-based tourism, but where we can access either day trippers from St Kitts or alternatively we can access the small high end cruises. That is certainly the way that we wish to go.”

Brantley said the government recently held meetings with officials from the Azamara and Windstar cruise lines.

“What we are saying is that we can facilitate and market ourselves to the small cruise ships,” he said. “Windstar, for example, has a capacity of only 308 passengers and that type of capacity, that’s what we are looking for — the higher-end more expensive cruises, if you will, the kind of clientele would appreciate what Nevis has to offer,” he said.

Windstar and Azamara were “receptive” to the idea that they could overnight in St Kitts and Nevis, rather than spending just a few nights.

“We have been promoting St. Kitts and Nevis as a sort of Ying and Yang of the Tourism Industry, offering two islands very close together, two destinations very close together but at the same time, offering such a difference in product and they really felt excited about that possibility,” he said.