AVIATION
The Barbados Government and the Caribbean Tourism Organization rolled out the red carpet for the chief executive officer of British Airways, Willie Walsh as they prepare to work together to combat the disproportionate imposition by the British Government of the Airline Passenger Duty (APD) to Caribbean destinations.
INAUGURAL TUI NORDIC FLIGHT BETWEEN STOCKHOLM SWEDEN AND BARBADOS
BARBADOS (April 8, 2011)
The dedicated charter flight from Stockholm, Sweden marks the first direct service in 15 years out of that market, and will operate a fortnightly service from December 14 unFl February 22, 2012. The airline will operate a B767B300 ER aircraft, which has 288 seats consisting of 30 premium seats, 102 premium economy seats and 156 economy seats.
Johanna Strand, Product Manager of Tui noted an upward trend from the full inaugural flight, confirming that up to the time of the press briefing, the entire program, a total of rotations total, stood at a 93.3% bookings level.
The trend comes off of the momentum from earlier booking level, which stood at 44% in March this year. The addition of this service to the island will increase options for the broader European market, with those countries directly positioned to support the flight being Sweden, Norway and Finland.
BARBADOS STRENGTHENS TIES WITH CANADA’S LEADING AIRLINE
TORONTO (June 29, 2011)
“Barbados has long valued the successful relationship it has with Canada and we look forward to seeing it grow year over
year,” said the Honorable Richard Sealy, Minister of Tourism for Barbados. “With strong partners like Air Canada, which has spanned the last 62 years, Canada has become a key visitor market for Barbados with a steady increase in visitors to our island. We have seen that Barbados appeals to Canadians because of its diverse, rich offering and mutual reputation for being a kind and friendly people.”
The Barbados Tourism Authority in Canada will work with the High Commissioner to develop the framework of a program aimed to enrich aviation education in Barbados through a partnership with Air Canada. The meeting also included a discussion on the changing trends in travel, and the island’s increased focus on promoting high-end accommodations, such as villa and luxury condominium rentals, which as achieved double digit growth over the past two years from Canada.
The newly renovated Grantley Adams International Airport offers non-stop and direct service from Toronto daily on Air Canada and 9 times weekly in the winter and 2 flights weekly out of Montreal. WestJet commenced service November 2, 2009 with 5 flights weekly via Toronto. Barbados was voted #8 in the World by Trip Advisor’s ‘2008 Travelers Choice Destination Awards’ in its Top 100 Destinations category.
BARBADOS TOURISM AUTHORITY PARTNERSHIP WITH BRAZILIAN GOL INTELLIGENT AIRLINES SAO PAULO, BRAZIL, (March 24, 2010)
Barbados has secured an agreement with GOL Linhas Aéreas Inteligentes (GOL Intelligent Airlines) that will guarantee direct airlift from Brazil starting June 26th.
The service will operate weekly out of Sao Paulo on Saturdays, utilizing a 737 aircraft with 120 commercial seats.
Barbados Tourism Authority (BTA) President and CEO David Rice, who signed the agreement with GOL’s CEO Constantino de Oliveira Jr, said the new flights were an important breakthrough into South America’s largest economy. GOL has commenced the process of securing a local general sales agent to look after on-island sales and promotion of the Barbados-Brazil leg of the flight.
While in Brazil, Rice also led several meetings with potential destination representatives and advertising agencies, as well as tour operators, all of whom will play a critical role in the success of this new service.
“The destination representative will coordinate our cooperative marketing arrangements with the tour operators with the advertising initiatives developed by the advertising agency. We also had an excellent meeting with tour operators who expressed a considerable amount of interest in selling Barbados to their consumer base in Brazil. “As a matter of fact, eight tour operators have already signed on to participate in a familiarization visit from March 10th to 13th and articulated a certain degree of enthusiasm in their ability to sell Barbados’ tourism product.”
Executive vice president of the Barbados Hotel and Tourism Association (BHTA), Sue Springer described the exercise as a positive one and added that some local hotels had already begun to pursue language training for their staff.
“We are also encouraging those hotels that were interested in hosting the Brazilian traveler that menus and hotel information should be translated into Portuguese,” she said.
Springer also congratulated the BTA for leading the charge in this initiative and pledged the full support of the BHTA in ensuring the longevity of the service. “The new airlift once again opens up the Brazilian market and the hard work and dedication of the BTA team that achieved this breakthrough has to be applauded. The Association will do all it can to support the BTA in ensuring that the flight is a success,” she said.
BARBADOS AND AA CELEBRATE INAUGURAL NONSTOP FLIGHT FROM DALLAS TO BARBADOS BRIDGETOWN, BARBADOS AND FORT WORTH, TEXAS, (Dec. 16, 2010)
“Barbados is a wonderful Caribbean destination and we’re thrilled to have expanded our service to the island from our largest hub and international gateway in DFW,” said Peter J. Dolara, American’s Senior Vice President for Mexico, the Caribbean and Latin America. “This new service offers convenient connections and provides passengers with the opportunity to discover a great destination.”
In applauding the American Airlines service from DFW, David M. Rice, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Barbados Tourism Authority added that he is very pleased that the carrier now opens the door for many new visitors to Barbados.
“We are thrilled to add American Airlines nonstop service from DFW to Barbados. These new flights will provide our customers from the Central and Western regions of the U.S. easier and more convenient access to Barbados. We look forward to bringing more visitors to our beautiful island from so many key U.S. markets.”
A celebration for the inaugural flight was held today in American Airlines’ Terminal D at DFW. Travelers were greeted by island sights and sounds, enjoying live steel pan musical performances, Barbados gift bags and warm welcomes from Barbados Tourism Authority and American Airlines representatives.
BARBADOS TOURISM AUTHORITY PARTNERSHIP WITH JET BLUE AIRWAYS
NEW YORK – (October 1, 2009)
The inaugural flight of jetBlue Airways touched down today at the Grantley Adams International Airport (GAIA) with an all-Barbadian crew.
President and Chief Executive Officer of the Barbados Tourism Authority (BTA), David Rice, also echoed satisfaction and noted that the BTA was very excited about the opportunity to work with the airline.
He stressed that what the BTA had seen in the short term with jetBlue showed it was very important and critical for his organization “to get a feel and vibes for how things would go. The vibe that we have been getting from our working relationship with jetBlue is a tremendous vibe of cooperation, mutual respect and support,” he stressed, adding that the BTA was keen “to make sure that this is a long term venture and that it continues to work and [that] it flourishes.” While giving the assurance that his organization would try to make the service rewarding, he told the media “We are encouraged and very pleased… we are confident that it will be a very successful venture.”
Meanwhile, Chief Communications Officer with jetBlue, Robin Hayes, revealed that Barbados was the 58th jetBlue City on the network and the 10th destination from New York and was “heralded as one of the most friendly destinations.”
Mr. Hayes pointed out that the inaugural flight was completely sold out, with the airline affording passengers at least one bag free of charge. He further stated that future bookings were looking incredibly strong.
In introducing the all-Barbadian crew, he commended the carrier’s over 12,000 staff and declared: “At jetBlue our people are our greatest asset. It is no secret that Barbadians are going to feel very at home on jetBlue services, as our award-winning crew members deliver a wonderful product. From the time you make your reservation, to the time we deliver your bag at the other end, we will take great care of you.”
The achievements of the airline were also highlighted, with Mr. Hayes acknowledging, among others, that jetBlue had been voted “Best Low Cost Carrier” for five years, and that Travel and Leisure had named it “Best Domestic Airline”.
Condor has revealed that it will be doubling the number of flights to Barbados from Frankfurt later this year enabling more travelers from Europe to enjoy holidays on the Caribbean Island.
Talks between BTA President David Rice and Condor in March earlier this year at Germany’s ITB trade show, focused on how to make Condor travel more affordable and competitive in the German travel market.
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados — Barbados’ airlift out of Canada is in for a boost with the reintroduction of the service by low cost carrier, WestJet.
WestJet BTA President David Rice, confirms that WestJet will recommence its service to Barbados in November as scheduled.
The service will arrive at 3:57 pm and departs at 5:00 pm using its B737-700 with 136 seats. Discussions are also ongoing to ensure that this service becomes a year-round opportunity for potential visitors from Canada to Barbados.
