(Barbados Today) The dreaded COVID-19 pandemic may have thrown tourism into a tailspin but it is not stopping local officials from finding ways to help boost visitor arrivals.
On Tuesday, Barbados welcomed the inaugural Inter-Caribbean Airways flight from Grenada. It touched down at the Grantley Adams International Airport (GAIA) around 12:10 p.m.
The 30-seater, Embraer EMB 120 aircraft and its passengers did not receive the usual colourful fanfare associated with the welcoming of a new flight at the GAIA, but officials have made one thing clear – the new flight will help to boost visitor arrivals and fill a major gap in the travel industry created with the recent decision to liquidate the longstanding regional airline LIAT.
Gilles Bussutil, Eastern Caribbean Operations Director for Inter-Caribbean Airways, said the company was making sure it helps Barbados to connect to the rest of the world.
“With the start of our operations today we commit to providing you with a widely-connected network of possibilities to the rest of the Caribbean, Central and South America. Connecting you with the Caribbean is our mission,” he said.
Bussitil promised that the Turks and Caicos Islands-based airline, which was formed 29 years ago, will help to provide jobs.
