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By Mrs. Lucrecia Lynch
The second Network -Latin America 2008 was hosted by the Aruba
Airport Authority (AAA) this year in Aruba from December 7-9, 2008.
The conference provided the opportunity for airports and airlines to
build relationships with Latin American carriers, low-cost players,
regional operators and tourism authorities, as well as planners from
US and beyond. In attendance were approximately 200 delegates
originating from the Caribbean, United States, Latin America and
various other countries.
Network Latin America was also able to book several airline CEO who
elaborated extensively on the demands and their company strategy to
survive in the industry. The venue for the conference was the
Radisson Hotel, centrally located in the touristic area of Aruba.
The first Network Latin America conference was held in Cancun Mexico
in 2007.
In general the meetings went well with airlines indicating to have
genuine interest to operate into St. Maarten; however airlines are
cautious in their planning for 2009 due to the challenges of the
ongoing world recession.
More effort and work is required from all tourism stakeholders to
develop this market. We believe that many of the airlines simply are
uncertain about initiating the Caribbean route. However, upon
noticing that one carrier accepted the challenge this trend may
cause a domino effect depending on market demand. The Latin (Central
and South) market is massive with a tremendous buying power.
Many affluent Latin/Hispanic customers seek other destinations for
vacationing; such as Cancun, the Dominican Republic, Cuba which are
conveniently located in the Caribbean. Several airlines such as
Varig, Tiara Air, and Tam mentioned connecting via Caracas to St.
Maarten.
The conference was an eye opener on many issues such as the visa
requirements for the passengers and the challengers many carriers
face entering the Caribbean. There is a lack of knowledge of St.
Maarten not only in the Latin markets but also in The Netherlands.
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