The then leaders took the chance and saw it was best to make the change at that time due to the difficulties faced with producing sugar and the debt associated.
When St.Kitts and Nevis moved away from exporting sugar in the early 2000s, to focus on Tourism, it was met with mixed reactions.
Some would agree that this change was good for the economy as it encouraged locals to find innovative ways to be part of that change.
Loop Caribbean spoke with local businessman and St.Kitts and Nevis Honorary Consul to Switzerland and Italy Ernest Amory MBE about the diversification of the federation’s economy and what it meant for both the country and its people.
“I think it was a good idea by the government at the time because they saw where they were not making any money from the Sugar Industry. The cost of sugar on the world market had decreased so much that it wasn’t profitable for them to grow sugar.
Our local people were not interested in cutting Sugar Cane so the government had to employ persons from Guyana, Dominican Republic and Haiti to come to cut cane.
He said however that the move from the sugar industry to the tourism industry was a big move due to the fact that there was no form of preparation for the approximately 1500 persons within the sugar industry, to assist them in transitioning to this new industry.
“The persons who were left out from the sugar industry were not ready for tourism. There were no positions for them; they didn’t have the skills for tourism, there were no jobs.”
As is usually the case with anything new, there were teething issues. And while the impact of this shift wasn’t all bad, some were left struggling to come to terms with the implications of such a drastic change.
It was new for all and encouraged many to adapt and find new ways to fit into this new way of life, thereby offering more to the tourism product.
“It affected a lot of people in a negative way but it opened up more avenues for the country in general so the government received more revenue, more businesses opened. Of course, we can see Porte Zante today; it’s flourishing. Sometimes in the height of the season, we have had six or seven cruise ships on one day.”
Many persons were empowered to become entrepreneurs. We see people on the beach giving massages, hair braiders offering their services, more local craft vendors and people have even made training monkeys into a profitable business.
“It’s good and bad but I think it’s more good than bad and I commend everybody for doing their part in showcasing what they can offer to promote St. Kitts and Nevis.”
Brief History
On July 22nd 2005, two locomotives brought in the last sugar canes for processing at the St. Kitts Sugar Manufacturing Corporation (SSMC) factory, signalling the closing of the island’s 300-year old sugar industry.
From the time of settlement St. Kitts was developed as a plantation island. The small plantations produced tobacco, cotton, and indigo and over the 17th-century sugar cane started gaining ground and St. Kitts became the wealthiest of the British possessions.
Over the years the maintenance of the sugar industry became too high for the country to sustain and the then government decided it was time to close the industry and focus on something new. That’s where tourism came in.
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