Air arrivals top 116,000 as tourism reports strong 2026
The Minister of Tourism says August arrivals rose 5.6 per cent on July, and Air Canada will start its seasonal service a month early.
BASSETERRE, St Kitts. St Kitts welcomed 116,458 air arrivals between January and the end of August, according to figures released by the Ministry of Tourism.
Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, Minister of Tourism Marsha Henderson said monthly arrivals rose by 5.6 per cent from 12,649 in July to 13,354 in August.
Visitor spending on Visa debit and credit cards alone exceeded US$34.5 million. That figure excludes other card networks and cash.
The 2025 to 2026 cruise season recorded 1,031,710 cruise passengers as of September.
Mrs Henderson said Air Canada's seasonal service would begin on 31 October, a month earlier than its usual late November start.
"Our aim is to attract more visitors through stronger destination awareness and marketing," the Minister said.
More than 460 people working in tourism, including hair braiders, taxi drivers, tour guides and vendors, have received customer service training, she added.
