The Tribune

By NATARIO McKENZIE

Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

TOURISM Minister Obie Wilchcombe said yesterday that he was not alarmed by the drop-off in 2013 first-half air arrivals, and pledged that 2014 would be a “banner year” for airlift.

And he revealed that come January 2014, the Bahamas would see a first with airlift beginning from Russia.

In its June monthly economic report, the Central Bank of the Bahamas said the month’s flat economic performance reflected “persistent softness in the main tourism sector”.

It noted that “the high value-added air segment contracted by 6.8 per cent, contrasting with the prior year’s 10.2 per cent expansion, while the 5.4 per cent rise in sea traffic extended the year-earlier 7.8 per cent gain”.

Responding, Mr Wilchcombe said: “We knew that would happen because Vision Airlines came out of Grand Bahama last year, and that was about 20 per cent of business that we lost. We lost one of the major airlines that was providing service out of Florida. We saw a decline in some of our business from Latin America because of situations that developed. We are not right now alarmed by it because we are working on increasing our airlift substantially.”

He added: “Right now we are in the midst of negotiations, and we know that some airlines are going to increase traffic. We are talking to other airlines now, and we’re talking to charter services. We’re also talking to the travel agencies, all with the intention of seeing an increase in the airlift in the next year.

“That is why we have been saying that next year is going to be our banner year, because all that we lost previously we’re bringing back, and we’re bringing in new airlift and we’re expanding.”

Mr Wilchcombe added that while cruise arrivals were expected to be numerous, it was important to get air arrivals back because of their higher per capita spending.

“One of the other reasons we lost airlift is because we have room inventory loss. We have 290 rooms out of the inventory. We knew all of this, but that’s why this is the linking year, so 2014 is going to be our banner year,” said Mr Wilchcombe.