St Kitts / Special Interests / Culture & Heritage

Over the centuries St Kitts’ fortunes have been inextricably tied to sugar or the “white gold” that grew in lush plantations covering the island’s volcanic terrain. At one time there were 68 plantations and St Kitts was regarded as one of the wealthiest, as well as one of the oldest, English colonies in the Caribbean. But with the decline in the sugar industry came the fall in the island’s fortunes, and it turned to tourism to help bridge the gap.

Visitors to the island today can see coastlines dotted with traditional West Indian villages, churches, agricultural plots and the occasional windmill or brick chimney from an old sugar estate works. There are also a couple of excellent plantation house hotels set in restored historic buildings, some of the most atmospheric and delightful in the Caribbean. Until recently all the flatlands in this section of St Kitts were carpeted with sugar cane, but the industry came to an end in 2005.

Life today is fairly typical of the Caribbean for the 36,000 Kittians, many of who are decended from the slaves brought to work the plantations. Kittitians are a demonstrative people (unlike their cousins in Nevis, who are generally quieter) and so life in downtown Basseterre is lively. Expect to be accosted, by busmen and taxi drivers for obvious reasons, but also by people out in the street. It pays to take a little time to join in.