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Doing business & staying in touch

Businesswear for men usually consists of a short- or long-sleeved shirt and tie, or open-neck tunic shirt.

Office hours: 

Mon-Fri 0800-1200 and 1300-1600.

Economy: 

St Kitts & Nevis has an agricultural economy, the mainstay of which is the sugar industry. As the world sugar price has been very low in the past few years and several sugar crops have been badly damaged by hurricanes and other adverse climatic conditions, St Kitts & Nevis has come to rely on regular injections of foreign aid to prevent economic collapse.

The government has responded by trying to broaden the base of the economy; bananas, yams and sweet potatoes are now important crops and the cultivation of rice and coffee is developing. Fishing is also growing in commercial importance.

Manufacturing is dominated by sugar products, and textiles and drinks are also produced. A thriving electronics and data-processing sector is the principal success story from the government's diversification policy, as is tourism which is developing rapidly, particularly on Nevis, and now brings about US$70 million a year into the economy.

More recently, and especially on Nevis, an 'offshore' financial services industry has developed: there are now over 10,000 foreign businesses registered on the island and the government has been obliged to meet new international standards regarding the investigation of money-laundering. Unemployment is among the lowest in the Caribbean.
For further information on conferences and convention possibilities, contact the St Kitts & Nevis Hotel & Tourism Association (see Accommodation Information).

GDP: 

US$453 million (2005).

Main exports: 

Foodstuffs, electronics, beverages and tobacco.

Main imports: 

Machinery, manufactured goods, foods and fuel.

Main trading partners: 

USA, UK and CARICOM countries.

Staying in touch in St Kitts and Nevis

Mobile phone: 

Unregistered roaming is available - visitors with TDMA handsets can make calls without registering, provided they can give a credit card number.

Internet: 

Public access is available at many hotels and the Internet kiosk at the Cable & Wireless offices in Basseterre, St Kitts.

Post: 

Airmail to Western Europe takes five to seven days.

Post office hours: 

Mon-Wed, Fri and Sat 0800-1500, Thurs 0800-1100.

Media: 

The government operates national television and radio networks. There are several private radio stations. The main political parties publish weekly or fortnightly newspapers.

Press: 

• Newspapers published in English include: The Democrat, The St Kitts and Nevis Observer (weekly) and The Labour Spokesman (twice weekly).

Television: 

• ZIZ Television is a government-owned TV channel.

Radio: 

• ZIZ and ZBC Radio are the government-owned stations.
• Winn FM, Voice of Nevis (VON) and Big Wave are commercial stations.

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