The Caribbean region is booming with air travel that is affordable, convenient and that connects regions of the world that have never been directly connected before, bringing with it many new and exciting opportunities for airline growth!

This movement of increased flight connectivity to the Caribbean is illustrated well by route updates made by Mexican airline Volaris.

In May 2015 Volaris revealed their plans for an extensive network that would make them the first carrier to connect Mexico with the important Caribbean island of Puerto Rico in the past 15 years. Volaris’ expansion plan introduces a new international service: Quintana Roo, Cancun to the city of San Juan, with two flights offered weekly.

With increased air connectivity, the Caribbean will surely become a more actively visited destination.

Ingrid Rivera Rocafort, Executive Director of the Puerto Rico Tourism Company, was pleased with Volaris’ added routes into San Juan.

“With this flight, we are restoring direct connection from our island to Mexico, which is the Latin American country sending the highest number of visitors to Puerto Rico. Now, arriving in San Juan will be much easier and affordable for tourists.”

Air connectivity ultimately fosters economic development in cities, meaning that exciting times lie ahead for airlines flying into the Caribbean.

CEO of Volaris, Enrique Beltranena, announced during a press release that their new services will open doors to diversify the island’s offerings.

With the highest number of Puerto Rican visitors coming from Latin America and Mexico in particular, adding this route and making San Juan more affordable and accessible makes good economic sense for the island. In fact, it was the Puerto Rico Tourism Company that helped Volaris step up and expand its destinations.

Volaris is not alone in this new movement of helping to make the Caribbean more accessible to tourists and business travellers alike.

Intercaribbean Airways are also helping to pave the way to a more connected Caribbean. They have scheduled services from Antigua, Dominican Republic, Cuba, Jamaica, Haiti, Puerto Rico and Tortola to attract visitors from Latin America and Eastern Europe to the Caribbean region with their new offerings, regionally shortening distances and time spent in traveling.

With all the advances to connectivity in the Greater Caribbean region by sea and air, there are still many challenges to overcome.

The motivation to improve connectivity through transportation is quickly gaining momentum. This can be seen through the initiatives taken by the Association of Caribbean States (ACS), particularly the Air and Transport Agreement.

The ACS has been in talks with major airlines in the region including Avianca, Caribbean Airlines Ltd. and others to improve air connectivity throughout the region, and many different possibilities are being explored to better promote this. His Excellency Alfonso Múnera, the Secretary General of the ACS, announced that meetings regarding air connectivity between airlines from multiple countries have been facilitated by the ACS.

The end goal is for the Greater Caribbean Region to reach its full potential as a multi-destination tourism area, and achieving this will involve the participation of airlines from around the world.

With such great changes in flight connectivity in the Caribbean region, it is an exciting time for the tourism and airline industry there. All types of travellers will be able to conveniently connect to different cities and countries within the Caribbean. Airlines offering flights into the region and the Caribbean tourism industry as a whole will certainly grow and reap the benefits of this movement!

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