Above: Nevis (CJ Photo)

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Nevis is hopeful for a prosperous tourist season in 2013/2014, according to Tourism Minister Mark Brantley.

Brantley, who was speaking last week on an interview on Nevis Television Channel 8, said he hoped that Nevis would experience a “fruitful” year this season, which begins in November, buoyed by increased cruise calls.

“We have fingers and toes crossed that it is going to be an excellent season. All indications are that we are going to have a bumper season this year,” he said. “We hope that our promotions will pay off, we’re getting indications that bookings are up and we are seeing some new things.”

That’s due to a number of factors, he said, including the return of Windstar Cruises and Seabourn and Club Med. Windstar will be making around seven calls to the island.

The Azamara Quest, the sister ship to the Azamara Journey, will be making its inaugural call to the island this year.

“We are looking forward to much more activity at our port in terms of cruise tourism,” Brantley said.

“Of course we use cruise in Nevis, as a gateway and our hope is that people who come on cruises would want to come back and stay as a land based visitors because all the statistics show, that the land-based tourism is really the sector that generates the most revenue,” he said. “So that is what we are seeking to do.”

Nevis’ government is also looking to secure more flights into the Vance Amory International Airport, which recently got a boost from new flights from Tradewind Aviation.

“We also have a new helicopter service based in St. Kitts but we’ve given them rights to land in Nevis,” he said. “That helicopter service is going to be doing some areal tours but also be available in case of emergencies of course. So we are happy that that is a new development, a novelty development.”