Caribbean tourism policymakers and air services and route development planners will gain invaluable intelligence on the subject during Caribbean Week New York next month.

The region’s tourism development agency, the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO), has organized a special masterclass in air service development “to provide new insights” to its member countries seeking to attract new airlines or additional seats to their destinations.

The session, “Strategies for Successful Air Service Development,” will be delivered by airline route development expert, David Stroud, the managing director of Airport Strategy and Marketing Limited (ASM), a UK-based global company which helps airports and their destination partners attract new routes.

“The days are gone where people can sit back and expect business to come their way because they have a great facility or the beaches are attractive or there’s a fantastic hotel development down the road, so if we build the airport people will come.  Those days are over all over the world,” said Mr. Stroud.

The ASM executive will share information on the next era of route development, how Caribbean airports and destinations can be competitive and in tune with what the market wants, what airlines are demanding and how destinations are responding to these demands; and how Caribbean route developers can prepare to deal with carriers and tour operators.

The masterclass on air service development takes place on Tuesday 2 June from 1:15 P.M. to 3:15 P.M. at the Wyndham New Yorker Hotel in New York.