Caribbean Bliss: Saint Kitts and Nevis Reveals Commitment To Sustainable Tourism

As the effects of climate change continue to be revealed, one Caribbean destination is doing its best to ensure its tourism is sustainable. Saint Kitts and Nevis have confirmed its designation as a Sustainable Island State under the auspices of the United Nations. With the program, Federation legislators are committed to introducing sustainable policies with cultural, ecological, educational and financial components.

Saint Kitts and Nevis commits to sustainable tourism

This year, the Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis introduced legislation to ban the use of single-use plastic and set a timetable for its implementation. Moreover, the government has also initiated a program to convert street lighting and lighting fixtures at sports facilities to LED, thus reducing power consumption.

Marsha Henderson, Minister of Tourism for Saint Kitts and Nevis, said earlier this year:

The philosophy behind the Federation’s efforts to create a sustainable tourism environment focuses on preserving our environment, culture, and history.

As a destination that relies heavily on tourism, we must protect our tourism products so that locals and visitors can enjoy them for generations to come.

Other initiatives in the making

The government is planning other initiatives, including a strategy to encourage the rewilding of former sugar plantations. According to Henderson, the sugar cane fields were abandoned in 2005 when commercial production ended in Saint Kitts and Nevis.

“Naturally, nature started taking over and reclaimed much of the sugar lands closest to the rainforest. As a result, the rainforest has expanded,” she said, confirming that the rainforest in Saint Kitts and Nevis is protected under legislation.

Heart of Saint Kitts Sustainability Charter

Moreover, in 2021, the Ministry of Tourism launched the Heart of Saint Kitts Sustainability Charter to encourage local tourism companies to adopt sustainable practices.

Meanwhile, the Charter lists the concrete actions tourism businesses can take to improve their sustainability performance. A participant handbook was developed, along with a framework of best practices, offering practical guidance on the implementation of sustainable practices.

However, besides these actions, Henderson noted that the initiatives of the government’s program to establish the Federation as a Sustainable Island State are still “in the infancy stages.”

However, the Minister of Tourism added, “Some restaurants on the island have already implemented the ban on single-use plastics, utilizing mason jars, paper straws, biodegradable takeaway containers and banana leaves as plates.”

Moreover, Henderson has created a marketing and communications toolkit to assist the Federation’s businesses in revealing their sustainability stories in compelling ways, adding:

We also seek to increase economic sustainability by creating closer links between tourism and agriculture.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Tourism is creating connections between tourism and Saint Kitts and Nevis’ creative economy and souvenir manufacturing. These are aimed at “reducing the leakage of foreign exchange and expanding the wealth of tourism in the local communities within the Federation,” Henderson added.

It was back in June 2024 that the government of Saint Kitts and Nevis signed the Glasgow Declaration for Climate Action in Tourism. By doing so, the country committed to halving emissions caused by tourism by 2030. Officials said in a statement that it is hoped to reach net zero as soon as possible before 2050.