PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten – Residents and business enthusiasts, particularly those with interest in the Aviation Industry are encouraged to sign up for the 4th annual Caribbean Aviation Meetup conference, which will be held here in St. Maarten on June 11-13 on St. Maarten/St. Martin.
The conference was successfully held here two years ago before the island was hit by hurricanes and will be hosted this year by St. Maarten/St. Martin and supported by several major local and international companies. The importance of the event is being promoted by the Department of Civil Aviation and Maritime Services in the Ministry of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport & Telecommunication (TEATT).
Minister of TEATT, the Honourable Stuart Johnson, said, “St. Maarten is actively engaged in redeveloping its Tourism Product post-Irma and the Aviation Industry, and in particular, the reconstruction of the Princess Juliana International Airport to include US Pre-Clearance is paramount.”
He said, “Considering the importance of Air Transport to the future of our tourism economy, forums such as Caribbean Aviation Meetup provides our people with access to vital information that will aid in the redevelopment of PJIA to meet and improve our Aviation Standards.”
The Caribbean Aviation Meetup conference, CARIBAVIA, is a result and solutions-oriented communication platform for stakeholders of airlift, which are the aviation and tourism industries. The conference venue is the Simpson Bay Resort were the sessions on the first and third day, as well as the social events will take place. On the second conference day, the meetings will be held at Grand Case Airport and an exclusive ‘summit’ on luxury tourism will for a limited number of participants be organized and hosted by St. Barth.
The topics of the 30 sessions will vary from “Friendly Skies; Liberalizing Airlift in the Caribbean” to “Regional Airport Design For A Profit Making Concept”, and from “Re-Energizing Destination Marketing” to “Training And Mentoring To Service A Demanding Clientele” and “U.S. Preclearance”. There will also be Air Traffic Control Tower tours at Princess Juliana International Airport.
“The opportunity to get best practice information from some of the top Aviation Experts in the region and internationally cannot be understated,” explained Minister Johnson. At present, the Department of Civil Aviation & Maritime Services in St. Maarten is working towards regaining its CAT 1 Status. This will create new opportunities for our local carriers to enter into Interline Agreements with US-based Carriers for connection of travellers to our neighbouring islands from the U.S. Mainland. This forms part of our strategic plan for further development of PJIA’s hub function and service to the region.
Whether travelling leisurely for vacation or business, Aviation activity generates tremendous economic benefits for the people of the Caribbean and in particular a tourism-dependent destination such as St. Maarten. Therefore, I wish to commend the organizers whose foresight it was to combine the two topics’ Aviation and Tourism’ and establish the Caribbean Aviation Meetup,” says Johnson.
The Caribbean Aviation Meetup is the first aviation and tourism conference in the region to pay attention to Africa in a great panel session titled “Opportunities for connecting the Caribbean to Africa through Travel and Tourism, as well as Trade, Investment and Cultural Exchange”, and an African Evening Social Event. Direct flight connections between a Caribbean hub and an African destination may be realized shortly. Africa will become an important source market. St. Maarten has an opportunity to take the lead in establishing relations and making the connections.
“Over the past four years, the Meetup has been getting increased international interest by experts, professionals, and major players of the aviation industry. It has become a brand for a unique conference format,” comments Cdr. Bud Slabbaert the Chairman and Coordinator of the events, “The event will be further the developed to justify its reputation as the most important airlift conference in the region.”
Participants and will join the 3-day event from North and Central America, Europe and Africa, as well as the various Caribbean countries. Nine international journalists are currently accredited to cover the event. For
further information, visit the CARIBAVIA website at www.caribavia.com.
