Kelly Fontenelle Named St. Kitts Tourism Authority CEO

17.06.2024 - 22:03 / travelpulse.com / Brian Major

Kelly Fontenelle, St. Kitts Tourism Authority's new CEO (Photo Credit: Kelly Fontenelle)

The St. Kitts Tourism Authority named Kelly Fontenelle CEO effective July 1. In her new role, Fontenelle will lead international marketing for the destination, focusing on “travel trade and airline relationships," according to St. Kitts Tourism officials. 

Fontenelle will also formulate “strategic plans across earned, paid and owned media” while “[fostering] lucrative partnerships and [facilitating] stakeholder communication,” officials said in a statement.  

Fontenelle replaces Ellison “Tommy” Thompson, who had led the agency sinceJanuary 2022. Fontenelle most recently played an influential role in advisor relations and post-pandemic travel as CEO of Travel Advisors Selling the Caribbean, a popular Facebook-based agency group. 

“The wealth of experience Ms. Fontenelle-Clarke brings to the table, spanning over 25 years in the tourism and event management sector, particularly in Caribbean travel and in the romance market is truly admirable,” said Marsha T. Henderson, St. Kitts’ minister of tourism, international transport, civil aviation, urban development, employment, and labor. 

“She has a proven track record of transforming organizations and tourism authorities into industry leaders through innovative strategies [and] collaborative partnerships,” Henderson said. “We are confident that under her leadership, we will continue to drive high demand for St. Kitts among air and cruise passengers, contributing to the ongoing growth of our tourism sector."

In addition to her other responsibilities, Fontenelle-Clarke will also “focus on leisure and cruise, two perennially high performing areas for tourism to St. Kitts,” said officials, and  “prioritize the romance and MICE markets, with the goal of increasing tourism's economic benefits across the island.” 

A St. Lucia native, Fontenelle previously served as director of marketing for the Saint Lucia Tourism Authority, where she developed targeted initiatives that significantly contributed to the positive growth of Saint Lucia's tourism industry. 

Fontenelle also played a fundamental role in developing the Saint Lucia Expert loyalty program, resulting in significant growth for brand advisors in fewer than five years, said St. Kitts officials. Fontenelle also developed a Romance Specialist Program and was instrumental in creating a diaspora travel program for Saint Lucia.

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