Basseterre, St. Kitts (August 25, 2015) – The St. Kitts Tourism Authority has partnered with the Golf Association of Ontario (GAO) to promote St. Kitts & Nevis as a golf destination to golfers in the province. The announcement was made earlier today at a luncheon held at the Angus Glen Golf Club.
“The GAO partnership represents a dynamic opportunity for St Kitts & Nevis to showcase the beauty and challenges of our golf courses to one of Canada’s strongest consumer segments,” said the Hon. Mr. Lindsay F.P. Grant, Minister of Tourism, International Trade, Industry and Commerce. “For the GAO to select St. Kitts & Nevis as an overseas venue for a sanctioned event underscores the emergence of our islands as a premier golf destination that’s only going to get better when we welcome our new courses at Kittitian Hill and Christophe Harbour. On behalf of our stakeholders and the people of St. Kitts & Nevis, we look forward to welcoming the many GAO members and staff that will come to our shores in the years ahead.”
As a result of the partnership with GAO, St. Kitts will be hosting the St. Kitts 2-ball Shootout in conjunction with the Golf Association of Ontario. Taking place from December 5-12, 2015, the event will feature 2-person teams competing in a 54-hole gross and net better ball competition at the Royal St. Kitts Golf Club. Participating golfers from the GAO will travel to St. Kitts on a 7-night package that includes accommodations at the St. Kitts Marriott Resort, meals, receptions, tournament play, awards and more.
“Our members are very well traveled and can get themselves to Myrtle Beach, Miami, Jamaica and many other well-known and popular golf destinations,” said Chris Osborne, President of the GAO. “What we want to give them is something new, something different, something special… and St. Kitts is all of that.”
Golf is one of the most lucrative niche markets that can contribute to a destination’s economy. More golfers live and play in the province of Ontario than any other region of Canada and Canada represents the second largest source market in North America for air passenger arrivals. There are 6 million golfers in Canada and those who travel overseas to play golf spend 4.5 billion, representing a significant potential market for St. Kitts & Nevis.
In addition to the Royal St. Kitts Golf Cluband, on Nevis, the Robert Trent Jones II course at Four Seasons Resort Nevis Golf Club, the twin-island federation will soon be home to the hillside Irie Fields championship course designed by Ian Woosnam at Kittitian Hill, which currently has 9 holes open with the remaining 9 holes to open by the end of this year, and a Tom Fazio championship course at Christophe Harbour on St. Kitts’ southeast peninsula scheduled to open in 2017. Together, they create a collection of championship courses unmatched in a destination of St. Kitts and Nevis’ size.
Further to the 2Ball Invitational, other signature golf events continue to be developed that showcase St. Kitts & Nevis as a golf destination. In May 2016, the island will host a second new event, the LINKS Magazine St. Kitts Couples Invitational. Entering its 6th year, the Admiral’s Cup Pro-Am is scheduled to take place February 7-11, 2016 and continues to grow in popularity among golf club teams.
In 2014, LINKS Magazine included St. Kitts & Nevis in its newly created ranking of the Top 25 Islands in the world for golf travel and it is one of just seven Caribbean islands on the list.
About Golf Association of Ontario
The Golf Association of Ontariois the Provincial Sport Organization for golf sharing a passion for golf, preserving the past, building the future, and championing golf’s best interests for everyone who enjoys the sport. The majority of individual members are at Private and Semi Private Clubs, but the association also offers opportunities for individuals to join directly as members of a Public Player Program. Currently, the GAO represents over 420 Member Clubs and over 115,000 individuals making it one of the largest Amateur Golf Associations in the world.
About St. Kitts
St. Kitts is currently ranked, with sister island Nevis, at #3 on a list of the Best Islands in the World, #3 on a list of the Best Caribbean Vacations, and #7 on a list of the Best Beach Honeymoon Destinations in the World, #8 on a list of Best Caribbean Honeymoons, and #8 on a list of the Best Affordable Caribbean Destinations by US News & World Report. It is also currently ranked at #7 among the Hottest Places to Travel this Winter by CNN Money based on bookings received by Virtuoso, #8 on a list of the Top 10 Best Islands for a Holiday by Places To See In Your Lifetime, #14 on a list of the 50 Travel Destinations That Will Be Huge In The Next 10 Years as well as #8 on a list of the 25 Best Caribbean Islands by Business Insider, one of the Top 12 Best Caribbean Vacations on FlipKey.com, the vacation rental company of leading travel website, TripAdvisor®. In 2014, LINKS Magazine included St. Kitts & Nevis in its newly created ranking of the Top 25 Islandsin the world. St. Kitts & Nevis has also been named one of the Top 15 Emerging Travel Hotspots for 2015by The Huffington Post and has been ranked by The New York Times at #34 of the 52 Places to Go in 2015. In addition, St. Kitts received the “Innovative Destination of the Year” Award in Caribbean Journal‘s Caribbean Travel Awards 2014.
For more information about St. Kitts, please contact the St. Kitts Tourism Authority toll free from the US at 1-800-582-6208 or from Canada 1-888-395-4887, e-mail info@stkittstourism.kn, visit www.stkittstourism.kn, or connect on Facebook, Twitter and/or YouTube.
