MARIGOT – Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of regional airline LIAT, Brian Challenger, wants more cooperation among players in the region’s travel and tourism sectors to help resolve the constraints faced by travellers.
Challenger made the call during a panel discussion at the inaugural Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO) State of the Industry Conference. The panel discussion, moderated by Trinidadian journalist Toney Fraser also included the executives of other airlines operating within the region.
Pointing out that cooperation is key to “overcoming the hurdles and making intra-Caribbean travel work” Challenger said that the Barbados-based CTO has a critical role to play in this regard.
He reiterated his call for it to facilitate dialogue and partnership between all tourism stakeholders including airlines, hotels, airports and tourism authorities.
The LIAT senior official said hurdles to regional travel include economic conditions, preferences for extra-regional travel, regulatory barriers, technical challenges and the cost of regional travel.
On the issue of the high cost of air travel, Challenger noted that there were several factors contributing to this. These include high operating costs such as fuel, labour, maintenance, capital costs, regulatory costs, taxation and government charges; as well as the small and fragmented regional markets.
In presenting his vision for the future of aviation in the region, Challenger said there was a need to build a more attractive and competitive Caribbean product pointing to the unique Caribbean festivals and diverse shopping attractions.
He said LIAT’s role in intra-Caribbean travel cannot be overemphasized noting that the island-hopping carrier flies approximately 120 sectors daily moving some 950 000 passengers annually. (CMC)
