The Caribbean is the world region that is most depending on air transportation

By Cdr. Bud Slabbaert 

The Caribbean is treated like a stepchild. One could call a small sub-continent. Most, if not all international organizations are making a serious mistake by talking about ‘Latin America and the Caribbean’ combined.  Which is unwise. Latin America are all independent countries with a significant population and land mass. The Caribbean is an archipelago of twenty plus island territories varying from sovereign countries to overseas territories, and it is multilingual.  Statistics for ‘Latin America and the Caribbean’ combined are pure foolish and reckless. For one it doesn’t provide a realistic picture of the region, it could even be damaging to the region when market assessments are made. It is like applying the statistics of all of Europe to the dwarf state Monaco. The Caribbean can only be judged its own characteristics.

To get a better picture of the air transportation and airlift in the Caribbean, the CARIBAVIA Summit & Retreat is just the right platform to attend.  

Airlift – Aviation related

Following is a topic selection of eleven out of the twenty-two sessions, that should clearly show that the event provides information on the aviation business environment in the Caribbean and what the opportunities are to get involved in this market. 

• The Microcosm of Caribbean Aviation
• Development of Regional Air Transportation in the Caribbean
• Impact of Private Aviation on Island Economies
• Private Aviation can Contribute to the Sustainability of Caribbean Tourism
• Business and Private Aviation Development
• Development of a State of the Art FBO
• The Impact of Investment in Aviation in the Caribbean
• Practical and Compelling Electric Aircraft for the Caribbean Region
• Development of New Air Cargo and Courier Services in the Caribbean
• Air Services and Route Development: Cases and Best Practice and Implications for the Caribbean
• The Perfect Solution for Airlines of all Sizes and Types

However, CARIBAVIA is a communication platform for ALL stakeholders of AIRLIFT, which is the common denominator for both aviation and tourism industries. After all, most of the economies in the Caribbean are significantly depending on revenues related to tourism. 

Airlift – Tourism related

Therefore, we see in the CARIBAVIA program topics like: 

• ‘Development of the World's Best Boutique Resort’. 

The resort in question has approached me often to assist in finding private air charters for its high-end clientele. There you have the airlift link. 

In order to fill aircraft seats, one has to attract passengers. How can they be attracted? By what is published in the media! For that purpose, there is a presentation on: 

• ‘How the Caribbean is Presented in the Media Abroad’. 

Yet, one also needs to know about the connection between aviation and tourism. Therefore, there are the sessions on the two topics: 

• ‘Air Service and Route Development’ 
• ‘Bringing Tourism Boards and Airports closer together.  

Additional Solutions

The point made in the above, is that a conference should have a logical program buildup and it should be results and solutions oriented. Only then is it worthwhile to attend. When it comes to solutions there are two more sessions:

• Crisis Management in the Travel & Tourism Industry
• The Perfect Solution for Airlines of all Sizes and Types

Many only see the Caribbean as being a tourism destination. The region is in need for economy diversification and investment. Expertise from abroad is welcome. Participants from abroad may reach out to the Caribbean and the Caribbean will welcome it. There are indeed opportunities for both aviation and tourism industry. Networking is the key to discover them.

The CARIBAVIA Summit and Retreat will be held June 14-16 on St.Maarten/St.Martin (IATA code SXM).

Considering the maximum capacities, a limit for the number of participants is set. Conference website: www.caribavia.org