October 12, 2011
David Johnson, Director General of Tourism, Bahamas Ministry of Tourism and Aviation
“From the beginning, we knew that Copa (Airlines) had positioned its flights into Nassau in such a way that it allowed for connections from throughout South and Central America. The airline certainly is delivering as it promised. But this is not Easy Street for us. There are some things we need to do and some improvements we ought to make to ensure that we sustain this business and even advance it.” – David Johnson, Director General of Tourism, Bahamas Ministry of Tourism and Aviation (thebahamasweekly.com)
“Air transport has an integral role to play in the development of the integration movement. One Caribbean airline that leverages the resources and expertise in most of our countries, coupled with a combination of successful, home-grown policies, is in my opinion, still the best model for air transport success in this region. Ironically and noteworthy is the fact that most of the endeavours and practices for which we as a region have received global acclaim and for which we are renowned for global excellence are the efforts that we have undertaken collectively. West Indies cricket and UWI are just two that I can mention. I believe that one, true Caribbean airline awaits our early action.” – Noel Lynch, Former Minister of Tourism, Barbados (Barbados Nation)
“One problem for Cayman is the relative lack of direct flights; we go to Jamaica and Cuba but not east. Sometimes it is easier to go to London than the Eastern Caribbean. That would be the biggest challenge unless the Caribbean could sustain a profitable airline.” – Harry Lalli, President, Cayman Islands Tourism Association (cayCompass.com)
“We saw a decline over the last few years in regional tourism. We’ve lost over 20,000 visits because of the cost of regional travel. It is extremely expensive at the moment to fly.” – Hon. Peter David, Minister of Tourism and Civil Aviation, Grenada (Caribbean360)
“We cannot meaningfully discuss the involvement of our communities in tourism without accepting our fundamental responsibility to teach them about tourism. I submit that failure to do so is as great a danger as any other that we have identified. I’m suggesting that an essential step to sustaining our tourism industry lies in reaching into our primary and secondary schools, and unleashing the power of those young, creative minds at a very early age. Giving them a clear understanding of the role they play in the success of this industry is sometimes as basic as helping them to understand what a tourist really is, and how one expects to be treated. Our people are the core of our industry and the mirrors of our culture”. – Hugh Riley, Secretary General, Caribbean Tourism Organization
“Steve (Jobs) was among the greatest of American innovators – brave enough to think differently, bold enough to believe he could change the world, and talented enough to do it.” – Barack Obama, President, United States (Financial Times)
“We have seen an increase in the number of patients that we are treating from the US and are very encouraged by the findings from the survey especially as our success rates are higher and our treatment costs significantly lower.” – Dr. Juliet Skinner, Head Clinician, Barbados Fertility Centre