GREAT BAY, – St. Maarten is being represented at the leading low cost airlines conference for the Americas. Representing St. Maarten is commissioner responsible for aviation affairs and tourism, Frans Richardson. He is joined by St. Maarten’s head of tourism, Regina Labega.
The Low Cost Airlines World Americas 2009 conference got underway on Monday morning in Coral Gables, Florida.
The conference is hailed as a forum “where innovation in the aviation sector happens” and brings together leading airline executives - many of them CEOs - from the tip of Canada to the toe of South America.
Topics being discussed include the evolving business model of a LCC (low cost carrier), route expansion into international markets -- with a focus on Latin America, optimizing sales and marketing channels and building brand loyalty, expanding smartly by analyzing route viability and what you can learn from the up-and-coming LCCs.
Considered as the sounding board helping drive the industry forward, the conference promises participants an opportunity to learn how to maximize opportunity cut costs and increase revenue.
The conference is described as the only event in the Americas to address the nuances facing low-cost, regional, charter and even legacy airlines and the industries that supply them. Participants are expected to hear about what the next 12 months hold for the industry and how to increase market share amid the blurring lines between low-cost and legacy carriers.
Just last week, the aviation and tourism commissioner hosted an introductory meeting with representatives of the St. Maarten Hospitality and Trade Association (S.H.T.A.), at the Government Administration Building in Philipsburg. Led by its president Emil Lee, the S.H.T.A. delegation of board members discussed topics related to the tourism authority, reallocation of the 4.1 million dollar SEI fund, labor permit policy, the economic summit, tour map, tourism budget and the environment.
