"I firmly believe we must work collectively to make Bermuda one of the best and most sought-after destinations for airline travellers," said Minister of Transport, the Hon. Wayne Furbert, following a recent meeting with tourism and transport stakeholders to discuss air service development.
Invited stakeholders were the Minister of Tourism and the Cabinet Office, the Hon. Vance Campbell, Shadow Minister of Transport, Susan Jackson and Shadow Minister of Tourism The Hon. Craig Cannonier; as well as representatives from the Bermuda Tourism Authority, the Bermuda Airport Authority, Skyport, and the Bermuda Hotel Association.
Minister Furbert added, "The meeting provided an opportunity for each organisation to share their plans and how they are working to improve air service, marketing, on-island transportation and visitor experiences. I shared with the group that we are embarking on an exciting spring and summer season. Before the pandemic, Bermuda saw an average of over 420k arrivals by air annually. Air arrivals decreased during the height of the pandemic; however, this year, we are projecting more than 300k arrivals by air. Another significant milestone is that Bermuda will likely see over 200 cruise calls this season with an estimated 200 million dollars in economic activity."
In his opening remarks, Minister Vance Campbell said, "We must be "all in" with our tourism industry and by that I mean the entire country, from our schoolchildren to our pensioners. We must constantly remind ourselves that our very future is inextricably linked to our tourism industry.."
In addition to Minister’s remarks, the groups heard presentations from Lester Nelson, CEO of Bermuda Aviation Authority; Tracey Berkeley, Interim CEO of BTA; Aaron Adderley, President Skyport; Erin Smith, COO BTA; Ken Hassard, Commercial Director Skyport and Jamari Douglas, VP Marketing & Communications BTA.