St. Kitts Tourism has a stylish new look in keeping with the island’s developing destination image. Rolled out via a soft launch, a focal point of the brand refresh is a redesigned website, www.stkittstourism.kn, which has just been completed. Along with new imagery, St. Kitts’ new logo is conceived in an elegant script with a open-heart shaped signature graphic and a new tagline that encourages potential visitors to “follow your heart” to the island. Color schemes for the new branding were inspired by the colors in St. Kitts’ natural landscape.
The new branding serves as the basis for the website redesign and has also been rolled out in a new cruise magazine, official social media accounts, e-newsletters, wedding flyers, tradeshow backdrops and banners, and will continue to appear on new materials as they are produced. “The new branding is intended to capture the emotional connection to St. Kitts that visitors have repeatedly expressed while simultaneously imparting a subtle call to action to the potential visitor,” said Senator Ricky Skerritt, Minister of Tourism & International Transport. “Actual feedback from past guests supported our belief that visitors are falling in love with our island experience, and this is what served as the basis for this new campaign. To enhance this connection, the redesigned website is intended as a centerpiece to foster greater interaction with the brand and ultimately drive visitors to choose St. Kitts for their next leisure or business trip.”
The www.stkittstourism.kn website is the official website for visitors seeking information about the island as a business and leisure destination. It provides a full range of details including where to stay, activities, dining venues, a calendar of events, meetings & incentives options, details about getting married on St. Kitts and more. Tabs invite website visitors to Explore, Feel, Love and Remember, providing continuity by incorporating the island’s former brand tagline into the refreshed look of the site. A photo gallery offers stunning visual images of the island and a live chat feature is coming soon. In keeping with the latest technological trends, the website also features tools for social sharing on the homepage and throughout sub-pages, including options to “like” the page on Facebook, post it to Twitter, and more.
A Twitter feed showcasing Tweets from the island’s official Twitter account is prominently placed on the home page along with links to follow the island’s official accounts on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. The home page also displays the current weather, an interactive island map, a booking engine powered by Expedia, video footage of the island, plus Trip Advisor reviews and a global Twitter feed to show “Who’s Talking About St. Kitts.” Further, the newly redesigned website is fully compatible with popular mobile devices such as the iPad, iPhone and various tablets, making it easier for mobile web users to interact with St. Kitts from anywhere in the world. Download speeds have been optimized and tools for tracking website metrics, such as Google Analytics, have been employed that will provide St. Kitts with data from which to continually grow and improve the site.
In addition, content management tools have been expanded, allowing both the St. Kitts Tourism Authority and local tourism stakeholders to keep the site updated with their latest deals, specials and facts. In late 2010, Florida-based creative firm Tambourine, a company with widespread Caribbean experience, was contracted to conceptualize the new branding, market the destination and develop new marketing materials, including the website. The Tambourine team, led by Principal Rafael Cardozo, visited St. Kitts to gain a first-hand, experience of the destination with the assistance of expert local guides and the St. Kitts Tourism Authority. During that time, they enjoyed a complete immersion in the island’s nature, culture and rich history, as well as interaction with local people. Tambourine also conducted a photo and video shoot, capturing vibrant visual imagery to support the new branding concepts.
In recent months, St. Kitts was named a top destination for 2011 by both AOL Travel and British Airways. Located in the northern Leeward Islands of the Caribbean, St. Kitts offers a diverse tourism product developed from the destination’s natural beauty, cultural heritage and rich history. The island’s stunning variety of tourism attractions include hiking through the tropical rainforest, riding the scenic railway that connects the island’s former sugar plantations, visiting the Caribelle Batik factory, touring Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park, the only man-made UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Eastern Caribbean, and the more traditional vacation pastimes such as watersports, golf, shopping, tennis, gourmet dining, gaming at one of St. Kitts’ two casinos or simply relaxing on one of the island’s sandy beaches. Accommodations range from intimate plantation inns to larger hotels or resorts.