SANTIAGO, Chile — Tourism Minister, Edmund Bartlett has announced that one of Latin America’s largest airlines, Copa, will now fly daily between Panama City and Montego Bay starting July of this year, bringing to eleven the overall number of flights weekly between both cities.

The announcement was made to large audiences of travel media, tour operators, airline executives and travel agents at receptions organised by the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB)  in both capital cities as well as Buenos Aires, Argentina and Santiago, Chile.

 “The move to daily service between Panama City, Copa’s major hub, and Montego Bay, our tourist capital, will make it easier for tourists visiting from several nations including Argentina and Chile which are among our most robust Latin American markets.

“Now they can any day of the week hop on a flight in Buenos Aires or Santiago and connect seamlessly via Panama City and be in Jamaica for quality vacation time. This is a game changer that will lift arrival numbers from this important part of South America,” Bartlett noted.

The meeting was the first of a series of market engagements across several South American nations by the JTB with industry leaders as Bartlett’s team focuses on growing tourist traffic from Latin America which recorded an over 16 per cent increase in stopover tourist arrivals last year alone.

 “Latin America is a very large market with a rapidly growing middle-class keen on travelling the world. Already we are seeing both strong interest and increased growth. Argentina and Chile specifically contributed approximately 10,000 visitors last year alone.

“With increasing airlift options and a more targeted program of engagement by the JTB in this marketplace I am confident that we will grow more significantly. I have set a target aimed at doubling the number of Argentinean and Chilean tourists coming into Jamaica from a combined total of 10,000 to 20,000 by 2021,” Bartlett stated.

Several resorts chains with operations in Jamaica were involved in the stakeholder engagements with the Argentinean and Chilean travel community including Sandals, Moon Palace, Blue Diamond Resorts operators of Royalton and RIU.