VZCZCXYZ1886
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHWN #0139/01 0641939
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 041939Z MAR 08
FM AMEMBASSY BRIDGETOWN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6178
INFO RUCNCOM/EC CARICOM COLLECTIVE
RUMIAAA/HQ USSOUTHCOM J2 MIAMI FL

UNCLAS BRIDGETOWN 000139 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR EB/CBA - DENNIS WINSTEAD 
COMMERCE FOR FSC SANTO DOMINGO 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: AMCHAM ETRD EINV PREL SC XL
SUBJECT:  Successful Commercial Outreach Trip to St Kitts 
 
Ref:  A) Bridgetown 95, 
         B) Bridgetown 49, 
         C) Guadalajara 100 
 
1  (U) Summary:  Poloffs conducted a week-long commercial outreach 
trip to St Kitts during diplomatic week February 18 to 22.  Poloffs 
met with local business leaders, government finance and investment 
officers, and hosted two receptions for the local American business 
community, while promoting increased engagement among the private 
sector firms in St Kitts and laying the foundation for the 
development of a possible AmCham branch office.  End summary. 
 
FOUR SEASONS EYEING EXPANSION 
 
¶2.  (U) The American-owned, 400 room Four Seasons hotel has been on 
 
Nevis for the last 17 years, catering to the high-end tourist 
market. Four Seasons GM Andrew Humphries told poloffs of plans said 
to be in the works for the expansion of the Nevis airport and a 
planned increase of private and charter flights to the island, 
particularly from the neighboring island of St. Maarten.  He said 
Four Seasons is expanding throughout the Eastern Caribbean with 
projects in Barbados, Grenada and possibly St. Lucia. Four Seasons' 
business is concentrated on the US market; with the majority coming 
from the Northeast.  He also noted that 40% of foreign visitors to 
St Kitts and Nevis now come from the U.S., up sharply from the 25% 
of a few years ago.  He welcomed the possible formation of a local 
AmCham. 
 
RECEPTIONS FOR THE AMERICAN BUSINESS COMMUNITY A HIT 
 
¶3.   (U) The Embassy-sponsored reception In Nevis was held at a 
local American owned business.  There are a surprising number of 
American owned firms on Nevis, with a range of businesses 
represented - from small hotels and restaurants, to media outlets 
and tax consultancies.  There are also some American-owned offshore 
finance companies active on the island, but they were unable to 
attend the reception.  Poloffs discussed the possibility of setting 
up an AmCham in St Kitts and Nevis, and promised to hold regular 
meetings with the American business community whenever we are on the 
island. 
 
¶4.  (U) The reception in St Kitts was held at the American-owned 
Marriot hotel.  The Marriot Hotel is the biggest foreign investor in 
St Kitts and has been a welcome partner to USG events in the past, 
hosting many of our regional training activities.  The hotel has had 
a significant impact on tourism in St Kitts, including the dramatic 
increase in tourism arrivals from the U.S.  Marriot management was 
quite receptive to the idea of creating an AmCham for St Kitts and 
Nevis. 
 
¶5.  (U) The business community represented a diverse group, 
including several deans from several of the US based medical schools 
on the island, the hotel and tourism industry and the diamond and 
high end retail establishments located at the cruise ship terminal. 
Many of the American-owned firms in the Cruise Ship terminal are 
based in St Martin, which has a large American business community, 
perhaps the largest in the region. 
 
HUGE CHRISTOPHE HARBOR PROJECT TO OPEN 2009 
 
¶6.  (U) Poloffs had extensive discussions at the reception with the 
general manager of the Christophe Harbor development project. 
Auberge and Firesky Corporations are developing a 2,500 acre hotel 
and golf course project near the Marriot Property.  Once completed, 
the project will add hundreds of high end rooms to the hotel 
inventory in the island and become a major employer and have a 
significant impact on the economy of St Kitts, according to project 
developers.   The General Manager of the project is keen on having 
an AmCham locate in St Kitts.  He pointed out that with the recent 
tourism boom, many more American firms are opening up operations in 
St. Kitts. 
 
EDUCATIONAL TOURISM  - BOOMING BUSINESS 
 
¶7.  (U) There are now five foreign owned medical and veterinary 
colleges in St Kitts and Nevis.  Ross University operates a 
veterinary and nursing college on the island and will be opening a 
medical college in the near future;  Ross also operates a well 
regarded sea turtle conservation research program.  The 
International University of the Health Sciences operates a medical 
college as well as a nursing college.  In addition to their main 
campus in St Kitts, they also have branch campuses in Dubai and 
India. The Medical University of the Americas, which is based in 
Nevis, has 500 students - about 40% are of South Asian Muslim 
background (earning them the local moniker "Muslim University of the 
Americas"). St Theresa's Medical University is the newest foreign 
owned college in St Kitts, while Windsor University of Medicine 
based in St Kitts also offers a MBA program.  Each of these 
universities has over 500 full time students and most say they are 
expanding their operations.  All of our interlocutors were 
optimistic about continued growth of the sector in St Kitts.   They 
point out that they offer a very affordable medical education and 
their graduates all have high pass rates in taking US Medical 
boards.  All of these colleges are US owned or affiliated, and most 
if not all of their staff are American citizens and the majority of 
the students are American as well.  The economic impact of these 
programs on St Kitts is tremendous as St Kitts only has a resident 
population of 50,000 citizens. 
 
¶8.  (U) Poloffs held extensive discussions with St Kitts Investment 
Promotion Agency, the Caribbean Central Bank, The Ministry of 
Agriculture, the Ministry of Tourism, the St Kitts Chamber of 
Commerce and the St Kitts Tourism Association (septel).  All were 
upbeat about the prospects of the American business community in St 
Kitts and welcomed the possible formation of an American Chamber. 
 
COMMENT 
 
(U) Following the successful launch of an AmCham in Barbados, and on 
the basis of the interest received during this visit, post believes 
a separate St Kitts and Nevis AmCham is a sustainable proposition. 
We are looking at a possible launch at the Marriot as soon as late 
April. The statistics on educational tourism in St. Kitts and Nevis 
are particularly intriguing.  As noted ref (c), this market is 
poised for even further growth, and a functioning AmCham should be 
able to play a positive advocacy and assistance role for new and 
existing American businesses on the islands. 
 
Ourisman