September 10, 2021
On September 14th, 2021, the Federation of St Kitts and Nevis will host 1,400 passengers of the Celebrity Equinox at its Port Zante. The port call of Celebrity Equinox, which is part of its parent company Royal Caribbean Group, will mark the first call by the Royal Caribbean Group to the twin-island since the onset of the pandemic, announced Lindsay Grant, Minister of Tourism, Transport and Ports.
St Kitts and Nevis remains in high demand as a renowned port for its exceptional tours complemented by an unmatched experience. The nation achieved the honorary Marquee Port status two cruise seasons in a row before the pandemic for reaching the one million passenger mark. Funded by the country’s Citizenship by Investment (CBI) Programme, Port Zante is one of the few ports in the Eastern Caribbean that can accommodate the world’s most prominent cruise vessels, like Carnival Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, and P & O Cruises. Another Celebrity Equinox ship will return to Port Zante in early October.
Minister Grant told CS Global Partners that revenue from CBI’s Sustainable Growth Fund option has played a pivotal role in keeping the economy afloat during the pandemic through the Poverty Alleviation Programme and it has also aided the preparation to reopen the tourism sector safety. “All signs point to a positive recovery of the economy in St Kitts and Nevis as global businesses begins to grow,” he added.
According to officials, St Kitts and Nevis will create a bubble at Port Zante to resume cruise tourism in the country. These safety protocols involve having 95 percent of all crew onboard the vessel fully vaccinated according to the CDC guidelines and ensuring all guests over 12 years of age are fully vaccinated with a World Health Organisation or the US Food and Drug Administration approved vaccine. All individuals must also submit a negative PCR or Antigen test three days before the embarkation of the vessel at homeport at the beginning of the cruise.
St Kitts and Nevis has the longest-standing CBI Programme in the industry, which has helped cultivate and improve the nation’s infrastructure development and social services. CBI funds generated through foreign investors also continue to finance healthcare, education and sports ventures on the islands.
To gain St Kitts and Nevis citizenship in approximately three months, applicants need to pass strict due diligence and contribute USD150,000 for a family of up to four to a government fund. This reduced offer is only valid until the end of 2021.
Benefits include restriction-free travel to nearly 160 destinations, the rights to live and work in the nation and the ability to pass citizenship on to kin.