Caribbean needs stronger intra-regional travel - IATA official
Published:Wednesday | September 14, 2022 | 1:58 PM
As travel rebound to pre-COVID-19 crisis levels globally, the Caribbean's recovery is even faster than the rest of the world at 81 per cent, but intra-regional passenger levels are only at 60 per cent.
Raising concerns regarding the absence of connectivity within the region, regional vice president of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), Peter Cerda, says travelling in the Caribbean remains a challenge.
The main carriers in the region are Cayman Airways, which recently invested in a new fleet of Boeing 737-8, Inter-Caribbean, which is now in 14 different countries, and Caribbean Airlines.
In many cases, the only way to travel from one Caribbean island to another is via Miami or Panama, said Cerda.
While noting that the intra-Caribbean market is not the size of blocs seen in many parts of the world, he said it needs to be served, not only for the good of local residents and businesses, but also to facilitate multi-destination tourism.
According to Cerda, marketing the Caribbean as a multi-destination is becoming increasingly important as inflationary pressures will have an adverse effect on disposable incomes in some of the key source markets like Canada, Europe and the United States.
“When holidaymakers will be deciding where they will spend their valuable vacation days and budgets, being able to offer a variety of experiences will be key,” Cerda argued, adding that when today's travellers fly they are looking for a seamless experience.
He noted that while physical infrastructure does not appear to be a limiting factor, creating the right conditions to generate the demand that will support a sustainable increase in air connectivity in the region is still a challenge.
Cerda also criticised the outdated paper-based administrative and regulatory processes which he said continue to negatively impact airline operations.
He called for the region's governments to urgently move into the digital age to provide a better customer experience and more efficient and secure airline operations.
“The good news is that many governments went down that path when it came to providing travel authorisations during the height of the pandemic. So we need to build on these experiences moving forward, rather than return to the old and inefficient ways.”
Making reference to the seamless and revolutionary approach by creating a single domestic arrangement for the free movement of visitors in 2007 when the region hosted the Cricket World Cup, Cerda said the chatter must stop.
“Just like the Nike slogan states 'Just do it'!"
Cerda was speaking at the Caribbean Aviation Day summit now on at the Ritz Carlton in Grand Cayman.
Follow The Gleaner on Twitter and Instagram @JamaicaGleaner and on Facebook @GleanerJamaica. Send us a message on WhatsApp at 1-876-499-0169 or email us at onlinefeedback@gleanerjm.com or editors@gleanerjm.com.