Dr David Doyle, the St Kitts and Nevis ambassador to UNESCO, has said that more needs to be done in terms of training young people in heritage tourism to boost tourism in the country.

Dr Doyle was meeting with stakeholders on St Kitts National Commission, updating its members on activities and programmes being pursued by UNESCO. He outlined the organisation's significant programmes and projects that have been undertaken or are soon to be implemented.

“We are seeking US$72,000 (€55,600, £44,100) to enable residents in the Cayon area to launch a marketing campaign to publicise and promote their area as a tourist attraction, as an area for school visits to see the flora and the fauna, to encourage the training of tour guides to help existing guides who undertake tours to the area,” said Dr Doyle, speaking to The St Kitts Nevis Observer.

“We are just about to launch and implement three major projects on youth and human rights approved by UNESCO a couple of weeks ago, the training of single fathers, as we have a challenge in relation to young men in this country, and there is a training program for Nevis on history and African ancestry that is within the framework of the slave route project.

“The people are very enthusiastic about what we are doing on the ground, as we build capacity in terms of training for several different things that ultimately would help the people better their living standards in the eradication of poverty in those areas.”

St Kitts and Nevis has a vast array of heritage-related tourism attractions. On St Kitts alone there are more than 250 documented sites, though not all have been developed as tourism sites. The islands have a rich history and were among the first islands in the Caribbean to be settled on by Europeans.