CAL J’Ouvert band no flight of fancy

THE LAUNCH of a J’Ouvert band by state-owned Caribbean Airlines Ltd (CAL) is no flight of fancy. It is an idea whose time has come.

For tourism to take off, we need novel approaches.

CAL’s inspired move to start Caribbean Iere Mas is a good example of the way forward.

Its complementary decision to partner with Angostura on a new rum punch for the season is a plus.

It makes complete sense for this country’s “tourism product” to be approached not through isolated pockets of stakeholders, but as package deals.

With about 600 flights per week, CAL brings tens of thousands of tourists to this country every year. This unique position allows it to market directly to these passengers.

Why not do more than just offer flights? Offering customers a full-service Carnival experience, from the airport to the road on Carnival Monday, is a potential stroke of genius.

True, the modern traveller, who can access information and quick deals online at the click of a mouse, is very individualistic: tailoring their itineraries without recourse to co-ordinating agents.

But there’s still a place for those who want to relax and let others craft their experience.

CAL needs not only to run a band, but must integrate this band with ticketing options, doing things like offering full packages that extend to hotels and car rentals and tours.

To push tourism means advocating for a more holistic view of how attractions can be grouped together.

However, for such synergies to come to life, there needs to be even greater collaboration between the state sector and private business.

There needs to be co-operation between entities like CAL, Tourism Trinidad Ltd, the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and the Arts, the Ministry of Trade and Industry and the Ministry of Finance.

Hotel associations and business chambers need to get on board. Cruise lines need to be approached. Even officials in cities and boroughs need to come to the table.

This may all be a tall order. But CAL has made a start, hopefully sparking others.

The airline has this year already been expanding its horizons. It has added new flights to Guyana and Suriname. It has expanded to the British Virgin Islands. It now reaches Martinique and Guadeloupe. Its New York and Puerto Rico routes are burgeoning. Last year, flights to Caracas resumed.

There will be many who will be sceptical of whether the national airline’s new band is just a case of playing ole mas.

While an operating profit of US$24 million was declared for 2023, this was in the wake of reports of a government write-off of a $205 million debt owed to the Airports Authority for 2007-2019 and on the back of debt-servicing by the state.

Like so many airlines around the world, the 2020 covid19 pandemic almost killed the carrier.

Yet if there is to be any lasting turnaround, that is made more likely by the kind of creativity embodied by this new venture. We hope it takes off.

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