NASSAU, Bahamas — The Caribbean’s private sector has a unique opportunity to generate strong profits in the new year with the unprecedented quantity of airlift coming into the region.
Director General and CEO of the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) Frank Comito encouraged regional stakeholders to get ready for what the association believes can be an especially strong winter season. “With new routes and upgraded aircraft announcements over recent months, market-savvy hoteliers are positioned to increase occupancy and generate additional business.”
Comito, whose team is preparing to host the 37th annual Caribbean Travel Marketplace, the Caribbean’s largest tourism marketing event, in Montego Bay, Jamaica January 29—31, 2019, said that while the 2017 storms affected year-over-year growth, with new, reopening and upgraded hotels the region is poised for growth.
Destinations which were impacted by the 2017 hurricanes are seeing a return to pre-2017 flight levels, while many other destinations in the region are seeing increased service. “We are confident that hotels participating in Marketplace this January in Jamaica will be in a great position to promote their properties, especially with the added airlift,” added Comito.
JetBlue Airways is increasing its Mint service flights to the Caribbean.
Comito cited JetBlue Airways’ continued growth into the region with additional flights and upgraded Mint service starting in early 2019. Delta Air Lines is bumping up its service to The Bahamas; Kingston, Jamaica; St. Kitts and Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Similarly, American Airlines has added capacity to Aruba, The Bahamas, Bonaire, Cayman Islands, St. Kitts, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Turks and Caicos, and is increasing its service to Barbados, Curaçao, Puerto Plata and Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, and St. Lucia. https://thenassauguardian.com/2018/12/18/increased-airlift-to-caribbean-fuels-new-opportunities-for-region/
