Director of Tourism, Rosa Harris, led a delegation to the Routes Americas conference which took place from 19 to 21 March in Bogota, Colombia

Director of Tourism, Rosa Harris, led a delegation to the Routes Americas conference which took place from 19 to 21 March in Bogota, Colombia. The Cayman Islands delegation included senior members of the Cayman Islands Department of Tourism (CIDOT), representatives from the Cayman Islands Airport Authority (CIAA), and the CIDOT’s aviation consultants, Volavion.
 
Routes Americas is the region’s leading air service development event and provides a platform for senior decision makers from airlines, airports, and destinations to meet and discuss the region’s air services.
 
Attendance at this event is an integral part of CIDOT’s aviation strategy which is aimed at flattening seasonality and diversifying the destination’s visitor base by attracting new direct service to the destination. As part of this strategy, the department meets with airline partners on a regular basis and integrates these partners into the destination’s annual marketing plans.
 
At Routes Americas, the delegation had more than 20 meetings with airlines and airports operating in the Americas region.
Central to these meetings were discussions on the expanded runway and facility upgrades at Owen Roberts International Airport with the aim of attracting long-haul direct flights into and out of the destination. Long-haul destination targets include Brazil, Peru and Argentina in the Americas and Germany, Italy, France and Switzerland in Europe.
“Aviation is one of our top priorities, and increasing airlift to the destination is crucial to the continued development of the Cayman Islands tourism industry,” said Director Harris. “Attendance at Routes is critical for us as we expand and conduct business development opportunities for the Cayman Islands. This conference gives us a platform to deepen our relationships with existing carriers and develop relationships with new carriers to ensure a steady stream of visitors to the islands.”