The Tribune

By NATARIO McKENZIE

Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

IN an effort to help boost demand and fill room inventory through May and into June 2014, the booking window for the $250 instant airfare credit will be extended for 30 days, according to tourism director general David Johnson.

Mr Johnson told Tribune Business: “We are just making a decision to extend it for a 50-day to 60-day period to boost our demand in May. That’s what we are doing to ensure that the strength that we have in March and April continues through May and June.

“We are extending it for that reason. The booking window would have ended at the end of March. We are extending the window for another 30 days. After that, it’s finished.”

Mr Johnson added: “We want to fill in that period in May and June. We will be fine in July and August, but we want to stimulate demand and get as many passengers as we can in May and June.”

Mr Johnson explained that the instant airfare credit came out of the Companion Fly Free promotion, which could not be sustained due to the rise in airline ticket prices.

“This was the Companion Fly Free before, and that’s when the average ticket price was $350, but we are moving up toward $400-$450, and in some cases it’s even higher,” he said.

“We have reduced that to an air credit, but it’s maxed to $250 per booking, so we have reduced the richness of the programme by almost 30-40 per end but it still works. We are much more efficient than we were in the first couple of years.”

Mr Johnson further explained: “Under the previous promotion, two persons who came in and stayed four nights, one passenger got their entire airfare and taxes free, which was almost $500 per booking.

“Today it is a flat amount of $250 credit per booking. The ability to sustain it was definitely a challenge had we continued with Companion Fly Free, with airfares having gone up. We were able to get around that and be much more efficient with this form of rebate and managing it, so it is for the need periods only.”