BASSETERRE (5th September, 2019): The delegation from St. Kitts led by Minister of Tourism the Hon. Lindsay F.P. Grant met with top management from Air Canada yesterday at the carrier’s headquarters in Montreal. The purpose of the visit was to discuss further development of the existing successful airline-destination partnership and, in particular, the first ever Tuesday non-stop peak season service starting this winter.
“I am extremely pleased with our partnership with Air Canada,” said the Hon. Mr. Lindsay F.P. Grant, Minister of Tourism, International Trade, Industry, Commerce and Consumer Affairs. “The flights they offer provide Canadian visitors and the Diaspora alike with more options to visit the destination during the busiest time of year for leisure travel. The positive feedback we heard regarding the performance of the Toronto-St. Kitts non-stop service demonstrates the carrier’s growing confidence in our tourism product.”
Racquel Brown, CEO of the St. Kitts Tourism Authority, added, “Having the opportunity to meet with the team one-on-one helps us to continue building our relationship with these top decision makers from our only Canadian carrier. To continue our momentum of strong arrivals growth from Canada achieved through targeted marketing to the affluent traveler in the golf and lifestyle niche markets, it will be critical to maintain or expand our service from Air Canada moving forward.”
For the first four months of 2019, air passenger arrivals from Air Canada increased over 60% as compared to the same period in 2018.
Air Canada first began serving St. Kitts non-stop on Fridays in peak season from Toronto Pearson International Airport in 2011 and subsequently shifted to Saturday service. It is the island’s only non-stop scheduled service from Canada. In 2018, service expanded from peak season only to operate for a six-month period starting in November 2018 through the end of April 2019 and upgauged the majority of those flights. Announced this summer, Air Canada will operate a second weekly non-stop flight from Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) to St. Kitts on Tuesdays in peak season for the first time in the island’s history from February 11 through April 14, 2020, complementing the carrier’s non-stop Saturday service.
Air Canada’s new Tuesday flights significantly increase the amount of available seats to carry travelers to the island, thereby reinforcing St. Kitts’ potential air arrivals growth for 2020. This additional service is part of the destination’s specific strategy to further develop its tourism industry by building out airlift from select target gateways with valued air partners to support its expanding hotel product.
