Tourism Minister Upbeat about Available Seats

Minister of Tourism, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, says he does not anticipate any problems in having available airline seats for the rest of the summer heading into the 2016-2017 winter season.

In a recent interview with JIS News at the Montego Bay Convention Centre in Rose Hall, St. James, Mr. Bartlett said a lot of effort is being put into increasing the number of seats out of several United States destinations, in addition to several flights out of Europe.

“Airlift, as you know, is the centerpiece of our connectivity. There are additional flights that we expect to get out of Europe through our tour partners TUI and we are also scheduled to get a flight arrangement through Euro Tours out of Germany. We also expect that there will be an adequacy of airlift out of the United Kingdom and Europe for the winter,” the Minister said.

Mr. Bartlett said that next year there is the possibility of adjustment with one or two of the country’s airline partners, but the Ministry is hoping that the discussions will not leave Jamaica in a deficit position as far as seats are concerned.

“This summer we are seeing good increases out of the United States, because there are some flights which are operating that weren’t there last summer,” he pointed out.

“For example, South West out of Houston started in November and is doing very well. Los Angeles to Montego Bay non-stop on American Airlines that started in December is continuing throughout the summer and is also doing very well. As we continue to state, the US market is looking very well with airlifts,” the Minister said.

Mr. Bartlett also cited a TUI Poland charter that is also on the calendar, in addition to a few other charters that will be coming into Montego Bay soon.

Director of Tourism, Paul Pennicook,  told JIS News that Jamaica is doing quite well out of Italy this summer, pointing to an Italian Village that was established in Negril. “This is doing very well and will be continuing year round,” he said.

“We expect to see Italy, Spain and France continue to grow and we are expecting big things from those markets heading into the winter,” the Director added.