The Importance of Culture and Traditions on St Kitts

St Kitts has an extremely rich history, and this has played a large part in forming the culture of the island. Much of the culture here has grown around the West African traditions of the slave populations who were brought to the island during the colonial rule of the French and British.

During this time the British also brought in Irish servants. The native population was the Caribs, who were skilled warriors, and they fought many battles with the colonists, but in 1782 the British gained control of both St Kitts and Nevis, and they retained this control until the islands were granted their independence in 1983.

This influence means that English is widely spoken here, while some islanders speak an English influenced Creole. Other influences come from the French and the Irish.

Many of the people on the island are deeply religious, and although some are Christians, others are Rastafarians or follow the Bahai faith. At one time there was a Jewish population here as there is an old Jewish cemetery, but nowadays there is no significant Jewish community.

Much of the culture on St Kitts is very vibrant and festive, and carnivals have an important role to play in island life. The largest carnival takes place over Christmas, and mid-December marks the opening gala with the events and festivities continuing into the New Year.

Carnival traditions include the Junior Calypso show, the National Carnival Queen Pageant and Miss Caribbean Talented Teen Pageant. However none of these have the history of the Masquerade, which has been evolving over the past three centuries and is a mix of European and African traditions.

The dances are a mix of European and African cultures, and the costumes are extremely colourful. It is worth learning a little bit about the history of St Kitts, as it is a very useful background in learning about the culture and tradition of this beautiful Caribbean island.

Reasons for Visiting St Kitts

When you think of a Caribbean island, St Kitts is probably not the first name which comes to mind, but this island is steadily growing in popularity, and for very good reason. It's a very attractive island which isn't that large, and certainly hasn't been over developed. It has good flight connections to North America and Europe, a real sense of history including beautifully restored plantation houses and a fortress, and of course some absolutely gorgeous beaches.

If you view St Kitts from its sister island of Nevis, then it looks just incredible, and I think it is one of the loveliest islands in the Caribbean. It is a lush and green volcanic island, and its crater extends into the clouds. It is one of the most northerly of the Leeward Islands in the eastern Caribbean, and it has two distinct halves.

The northern half of the island is far more traditional, and features lush green slopes, while the coastlines has traditional West Indian villages, churches and agricultural plots. You can even see the occasional brick chimney or windmill which are left over from the sugarcane industry that was eventually shut down in 2005.

In fact until very recently all the flat areas of the northern part of St Kitts were cultivated for sugarcane. The locals here have a relatively laid-back and typically Caribbean lifestyle.

In contrast, the southern part of the island is far less green and is a lot drier, but it has some of the best beaches on the island. The area around Frigate Bay is being developed for tourism as the beaches here are lovely, and anyone buying or renting accommodation here has the choice of either walking to the Atlantic side of the island, or the Caribbean side, depending on their mood that day, and I think this is one

St Kitts Forecasts Cruise Ship Visitor Numbers to Grow for Fifth Consecutive Year

It’s just been announced that St Kitts expects visitor numbers to grow for the fifth consecutive years, and arrivals from cruise ships are expected to increase by more than 20% between October 2011 and September 2012.

The announcement was made by Senator Ricky Skerritt who is Minister of Tourism and International Transport as he was addressing a local cruise stakeholder’s launch for next year's cruise ship schedule, which took place at the St Kitts Marriot resort.

He pointed out that it was a significant achievement for the island to the be able to forecast a fifth consecutive year of arrivals growth for the cruise ship season, and that by assessing current bookings they have been able to forecast but more than 650,000 visitors would arrive by September next year.

Skerritt said that the cruise ship sector would only continue to thrive if passengers enjoyed the quality of the visitor experience. The launch was also attended by tour operators, primate petting vendors, taxi operators, hair braiders, craft vendors and watersports operators.

The fact that more luxury cruise ships are choosing to stop at the island has to be good news for property owners here, as some of those visitors may well choose to holiday on the island at a later date. St Kitts has undergone significant improvements during the last few years, and has a lot to offer tourists, and the area around Frigate Bay is especially nice. There are a number of high-end resorts here designed to appeal to discerning tourists looking for something a little different from the better-known Caribbean islands.

St Kitts Looks Set for a Good Recovery from the Recession

A recent report from the International Monetary Fund indicates that the tourism industry in St Kitts and Nevis is recovering from the recent recession, and that this year has already seen considerable improvement, which is partly due to the reopening of the Four Seasons hotel in Nevis, and partly due to the fact that the United States is also coming out of recession as its own property market begins to stabilise. While the US is one of the major markets for St Kitts, it is also becoming a far more popular tourism destination for Canada and Europe.

The government in St Kitts has also taken steps to implement a strong fiscal adjustment program which includes tax revenue reforms, expenditure cuts and other measures designed to control inflation. Although it has been controlling spending it has still bought two new electricity generators to ensure the increased demand for power is met throughout the island, and is still ensuring that its tourism industry is promoted and that improvements to the infrastructure continue to be made.

Air Canada is due to begin flying out of Toronto to St Kitts at the end of the year, and although at the moment these flights are only due to continue until April 2012, there are rumours that if it is successful the flights will continue year-round. At the moment it is the only non-stop commercial flight from Canada, even though North America is a key market. Robert Bradshaw International airport was recently expanded as part of the government's programme to encourage visitors. There are already a considerable number of non-stop flights from the United States and European cities.

If You Love Hiking through the Forest Then You'll Adore St Kitts

St Kitts is ideal for anyone who loves spending time outdoors exploring the local fauna and flora, or just anyone who doesn't want to spend every minute on the beach. The island has an abundance of rainforest, and there are a number of easy-going or more strenuous hikes available.

The island is relatively pest free, and as many of the hikes are 1200 feet above sea level they are also quite cool. It's a great way of exploring, and gives you a chance to see local exotic fruits and vegetables, beautiful freshwater springs, exotic hummingbirds, bamboo groves and an awful lot more of nature.

If you don't want to spend a lot of time hiking then there are lots of tours available which will take you up into protected areas in specialist 4x4 land Rovers which are specially built for off-road touring. It's a lovely way to see exactly how beautiful this island really is, and a trip up to the volcano crater rim is an absolute must as it gives spectacular views over the island.

Other tours take you through the former sugar plantations, and you'll even get a chance to see inside these beautiful homes and to catch a glimpse of how life must have been. These types of trips are excellent, and don't require a great deal of fitness.

The lovely thing about St Kitts is that although tourism is becoming more important, the government is ensuring that developments such as Ocean’s Edge are carefully constructed to fit in with the natural environment, and the emphasis is very much on enjoying the natural splendor of the island as much of it is dedicated to National Park.

The Advantages of Buying Property in St Kitts

St Kitts is very much an up-and-coming tourism destination, and the country is being carefully developed in order to create sustainable tourism aimed at more discerning holidaymakers. A quarter of the island of St Kitts is set aside as a national park, and unlike the majority of the world, the rain forest here is actually growing.

The island has numerous dive sites offering ample opportunity for beginners and more experienced divers to explore the reefs and to experience something new. In fact wildlife is abundant on this island as there are lots of species of birds, families of mongoose and of course lots of grey-green monkeys.

There are numerous opportunities to explore this island, as you can either take a zip line over the rainforest, or hike or drive up to the edge of the volcano. Of course there are plenty of beautiful beaches, and one of the best is at Frigate Bay on the southernmost part of the island.

The Caribbean side is quite lively with lots of bars and restaurants and a beautiful one-mile stretch of white sandy beach, while the Atlantic Coast beach is within walking distance, and is ideal for relaxing, swimming and surfing.

In recent years St Kitts has become far more popular as a tourism destination since the government began promoting the island in 2005. The international airport has been recently upgraded, and there are increasing numbers of international flights, and the island is especially popular with visitors from the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada.