St. Kitts and Nevis surpasses 1M cruise passengers for first time since COVID-19

St. Kitts and Nevis: St. Kitts has welcomed 1,002,282 cruise passengers as of August 20, 2026, surpassing the one-million mark for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic. Tourism Minister Marsha T. Henderson said the milestone reflects the resilience of the island’s tourism sector and its people.

This is the first time after COVID-19 pandemic, that the destination has crossed the one-million mark. This points towards the renewed confidence from cruise partners. It is the result of the island’s continued efforts to improve the visitor experience and bring more benefits to local businesses and workers.

Tourism Minister Marsha T. Henderson said the achievement is significantly greater than just reaching a passenger figure.

This is not the first time St. Kitts has welcomed one million cruise passengers, but what makes this moment significant is what that number represents. It represents renewed confidence in our destination, the strength of the partnerships we have rebuilt, and the resilience of our tourism industry and our people.

Between October 2024 and April 2025, St. Kitts welcomed 748,056 cruise passengers. This reflects an increase of about 8 percent from the 690,244 passengers recorded during the previous season.

This recovery is the contribution of the Ministry of Tourism, St. Kitts Tourism Authority, St. Christopher Air and Sea Ports Authority and other agencies and tourism businesses. With the growth in cruise tourism, the economy of the country benefits significantly. As the cruise passengers support taxi operators, vendors, restaurants, tour companies, artisans and other local businesses.

The government launched the Tour Development Programme to increase local participation in August 2024. Furthermore, it supported 15 companies in creating new visitor experiences. After that, the government resolved an insurance issue so now smaller tour operators can also market their packages directly through cruise lines.

Before this milestone, St. Kitts previously crossed one million cruise passengers in 2018 and 2019. The latest achievement is a return to that level after the pandemic.

Prime Minister Dr. Terrance Drew celebrated this achievement as he posted on social media:

St. Kitts once again welcomes more than one million cruise passengers to our shores. This achievement reflects renewed confidence in our destination, the strength of our partnerships and the continued work being done to position St. Kitts and Nevis as a premier Caribbean destination.

Drew appreciated Henderson, her team, the St. Kitts Tourism Authority and tourism stakeholders. He said tourism supports jobs, businesses and livelihoods across the island.

The tourism sector is now going to grow further as P&O Cruises is expected to begin turnaround operations in St. Kitts. The operations will start in November 2027, while a Sugarmas experience with Celebrity Cruises is planned for January 2027.

With the one-million milestone, St. Kitts and Nevis have established a strong foundation. And now the island is working towards creating more opportunities for tourism.