The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Saint Lucia Hospitality and Tourism Association (SLHTA), Noorani Azeez, has expressed concern over the situation regarding regional air travel.
The Independent Senator acknowledged that regional travel had experienced challenges for some time.
But Azeez told reporters Thursday it was encouraging to hear some carriers’ commitment at the highest levels to improving regional commuter service.
Recently, Guyana Honorary Consul in Antigua and Barbuda, Robert Reis, called for InterCaribbean Airways to improve its service.
Reis spoke amid reports of flight delays, cancellations, and a failure to compensate affected Antigua, Barbados, Saint Lucia, and Guyana travellers.
The carrier said it was working to improve.
Noorani Azeez said delays do nothing good for the tourism industry and business travellers.
He also explained that regional visitors significantly impact smaller and mid-sized properties.
“Our regional tourism arrivals are something we have been keeping our eyes on. There is significant room for improvement,” the SLHTA official stated.
“Sadly, the offerings are not very competitive regionally right now. There is not sufficient competition among these carriers, and so for far too long regional commuters have just been sadly at the mercy of the inefficiencies of aircraft carriers,” Azeez declared.
He hoped more could be done at a regional level to address those issues.
Azeez also spoke of the need to address the matter of taxation, which affects not only leisure travellers’ movements but citizens wishing to move from country to country.
“I think in this day and age when we are trying to encourage that integration and that cross-fertilization of ideas, it is important that we restrict these things, that we remove these restrictions because they are just prohibitive to travel,” he told reporters.
What do you expect? Who is going to pay these exorbitant air fares to travel to other Caribbean islands that practically have the same thing…sand, sea and nothing else in between. When someone travels to the USA or Europe there are museums of various attractions, massive art galleries, countless attractions, grand cities and a bit for everyone to entertain themselves, everyone can find something according to their interest. If you want Caribbean people to travel to others Caribbean countries, you need to sell them something unique….plus you have to address the low wages that more or less relegate the majority of people to Living hand to mouth…you guys have vision but that vision does not have the foundation to allow it to come true….I do wish it works because that’s the only way forward but you need the foundation in place to allow such systems to work and by the looks of it, you don’t have the systems…. imagine, if we had a national theatre, built in some grand style, an iconic building, one that Sir Derek Walcott fought so hard for,… imagine having his plays or someone else’s being performed to the highest theatrical standards then you had the making of a culture of the appreciation of the arts , when the tourist comes, they come for the sun, sea, and sand. Is that all there is?….there is nothing of much significance to attract other Caribbean nationals….and that is the fault of visionless selfish politicians…
Azzez please take a freaking seat!!! What do you know about any of this?? slhta has a CEO and a president? Please make that make sense???
I would get my house in order before criticising other entities. Azzez can’t even solve the debacle that is the SLHTA group insurance and he wants to speak about being concerned? Please. Get your own organisation in order first my friend.
C-WIZ you absolutely right. There is very little to distinguish between the Caribbean islands. You’ve seen one, you’ve largely seen all.
We stupid lucians does travel to go bang women in various island that is the type of tourism he is referring